In 2020, more than 11,750 people were experiencing homelessness in King County, including 4,700 who slept unsheltered. Of those thousands of people, 446 of them were unhoused in Bellevue. This number increased by 32% since 2019, and the 2021 Count Us In report has yet to be complete.

At the same time, our metropolitan area led the United States in the number of construction cranes dotting the skyline. Today, 43 cranes rise over Bellevue and Seattle, supporting the construction of highrise residential and office towers, while the number of individuals living unhoused continues to climb. In our built environment we see this dichotomy in the glittering skylines of our cities while tent encampments and lived-in vehicles become prominent in the fabric of our urban areas.

People living unsheltered report feeling unseen, separated from their housed neighbors by an invisible wall. This perpetuates stereotypes around individuals experiencing homelessness, and many of us, living safe and sheltered, choose not to see them for who they are: people just like us, seeking safety, connection, and purpose.

A collaboration with Facing Homelessness, ‘The View From Here’ shines a light on our neighbors who now live unsheltered, even as we ignore their reflections in the windows of new buildings. Inside this installation you can catch a glimpse of loved ones sharing meals, parents putting a baby to sleep, beloved dogs getting their ears scratched. But these scenes, familiar to many of us, may seem out of place inside the flimsy fabric walls of the tent tower.

We invite you to come closer. We ask you to notice the invisible walls built between you and your unsheltered neighbors, to recognize the familiar, day-to-day rituals that connect us with one another. Whether the place we call home is on a cozy cul-de-sac or on the sidewalk, we are more alike than we are different.

LOCATION Bellevue, WA
PROGRAM Bellevue Art Museum, Biennial Exhibit COMPLETED November 2021
DIMENSIONS 8’ x 8’ x 21’
MEDIUM Tents, LED Lights, Cardboard, Audio
DESIGNERS Jack Chaffin, Shane Leaman,
Liz Wasson Coleman , Jesse Davis,
Jasmyn Flores, Kris Kohl, & Mona Zellers
COLLABORATORS Facing Homelessness, Gravitec

RECOGNITION
2021 November, Gray Magazine
2021 November, Seattle DJC