MCM Architect's Playground Design

MCM Architects have created the designs for the Marysville Playground Park Plan, which have kindly integrated the art designs that I have made based on the story of "Tongue". The major overhaul of the playground is scheduled for next summer, but we will begin creating some of the physical elements such as the cob benches in less than a month. Hopefully, we will have an earth mound built up by this summer in which we will be able to start planting native plants in the fall around the columnar basalt rock formations. The structures that are being added to the playground along with a permeable surface that will incorporate the Camas Woman's face and the stage will also occur next summer.

Monster "Tongue"

This design is an aerial view of the monster that lives on top of the rock island. When you walk the path of the tongue from the stage to the top mound you will be able to look down upon Camas Woman and the stage below. The face of the monster will emerge from the ground creating a cob bench to sit upon. The bench will actually be the monster's nose, eyes, and brow. The rest of the face will be a mosaic pattern that will be a part of the surface in which you walk upon. There will also be an eco-roof that rests above the cob bench as a shelter from the elements. These designs will happen in the later stages of the mound development, but will complete the story. This will be the origin of the tongue itself as the tongue is the pathway in which leads the viewer past the natural rock formations in which the pictographs will reside. As the viewer walks along the path the story will be told from the top of the mound to the bottom where the story will end at the stage. The idea is that the story will continue to be told by the viewer either on the stage itself (metaphorically speaking) or will be passed on orally to others, emphasizing the importance of keeping our own traditions and cultural heritage alive.

Sturgeon Cob Bench

This is an aerial view of the Sturgeon cob bench that represents the fish person that cuts off the tip of the monster's tongue in the story of "Tongue". There will be two sturgeon cob benches resting at the base of the earth mound by the stage where the entrance of the pathway will begin. Each sturgeon will be about 15 feet in length and will be nestled up to a piece of basalt that will be about 10 feet in length lying on its side so that it can be sat upon. The two sturgeon will be facing each other and are the guardians of the mound in which the monster makes its home.