[ UPSTREAM MUSIC FESTIVAL ]

In collaboration with SkB Architects

2016-17

SkB architects were selected as the festival design and concept team for the first Upstream Music Festival + Summit. The Upstream Music festival took place in May 2017 and was spread through a section of historical downtown Seattle showcasing 200 emerging local artists in over 40 venues. Participating bars, restaurants, and public squares provided spaces for artists to perform.

An existing parking lot in the centre of the participating venues and adjacent to the Summit conference, was converted into an outdoor festival space. Circulation paths were mapped into the design by making covered pathways, and using the negative space created by sculpting the lot with vegetation for informal gathering and busking theatres.

The Upstream Summit was an educational conference providing an opportunity for musicians, producers, and other industry professionals to meet, network, and learn from their fellow peers. Each day of the event featured keynote talks from local talents including Macklemore and Quincy Jones, and break-out discussions on more than 40 topics. SkB architects worked with the festival organizers to design a series of semi-enclosed meeting spaces for group talks throughout the day in an existing warehouse theatre.

Worked with team on design development, client presentations, design graphics, construction documents, and construction administration.

Existing and found elements to be reused or repurposed after the festival including trees in painted dumpsters to be replanted in the nearby park, concrete pipes for informal seating, truss framing and stretched fabric, modified shipping containers for vendors multi- task as storage for festival goods until next year.

13 break-out meeting spaces to support industry talks throughout the day were spread through the space, encouraging movement and informal interactions.

Bleachers, ground level chairs, clustered bar tables, platform lounge groups, and standing space provided a variety of seating options clustered around the keynote stage.