Skip to Content
photo of The Acid Ball
Photo: Chris Burnside / Olson Kundig

The Acid Ball

Bellingham, Washington

The Acid Ball

Bellingham, Washington

Alternately extraterrestrial and of this earth, Alan Maskin’s design proposal for The Acid Ball symbolizes human ingenuity. What was once a storage tank for toxic waste from a nearby industrial paper mill has been transformed into a public art installation concept – a convening landmark where visitors can forge a deeper connection to the skies and waters we all share.

The Acid Ball represents a moment of transition between the values of two starkly oppositional eras: the late 19th and early 20th century when industry was celebrated and nature was largely treated as a resource, and the late 20th century when nature was once again seen as source. Coastal cities such as Bellingham, location of the Acid Ball, began to reclaim these formerly industrial lands as public space. This moment of transition – from nature being viewed as resource to source – is the basis for The Acid Ball proposal.

The Acid Ball received second place in this open design competition sponsored by the City of Bellingham.

We knew from the moment we saw the first image of The Acid Ball that we wanted to make a proposal for this project. Olson Kundig is strongly drawn to the industrial artifacts from this era – and much of our design philosophy about fabrication and craft stems from industrial and factory buildings. Alan Maskin