Toxic Beauty at Cannonball Arts Center, Seattle

Toxic Beauty is a rideable soft-form sculpture commissioned by a new contemporary art and music center called Cannonball Arts in the heart of downtown Seattle. It’s a fairly realistic (but unrealistically large) embodiment of a nudibranch, or sea slug, known as the Hopkins Rose. Like its inspiration, my sculpture is bright pink with a ruffled bottom edge, covered in wavy pink-and-white appendages known as ‘cerata,’ as well as some gills and antennae. Unlike the real version, this one is topped by a pink saddle and provides visitors with a rollicking, rolling ride above an inflated cushion.

Above: I starred in the promotional photo; normally footwear is forbidden although overacting is encouraged. Photo by Luciano Ratto.

Above: an actual Hopkins Rose nudibranch. Photo by Ron Wolf, used with permission.

I chose to make this particular creature for five reasons:

1) That intense pink color means danger to other sea life. I love that a color we humans deem to be girly and feminine is a warning of death and toxins to potential predators.

2) This nudibranch gets its color and toxicity from what it eats: a bryozoan (kind of like a soft coral). The idea that what we take in is what we have available to spread to the world is timeless.

3) The Hopkins Rose serves as an indicator species of global warming. Often found in tidepools off the coast of California, this species is slowly migrating northward as oceans get warmer and its food source needs colder waters.

4) Pure aesthetics. I loved the idea of those flexible cerata waving around as this creature moved about.

5) The case for curiosity: that this is a REAL creature that many people wouldn’t know about. I like to call attention to objects of wonder that are there to observe, if you take the time and effort.

Above: Toxic Beauty fully installed with a safety cushion, ready for visitors on opening night. The sea slug is located on the lower level of the Cannonball Arts building.

Cannonball Arts took over the 66,000-square-foot building formerly occupied by a Bed Bath and Beyond store and reached out to artists in the Pacific Northwest (and a little south, for me) to create new works that would celebrate artists and build community through non-traditional arts experiences that are bold, fun and immersive. That’s right up my alley.

When a friend sent me the post on Instagram stating that an upcoming art center had purchased a mechanical bull and wanted someone to create a rideable sculpture over it, I had to step up. I’ve created touchable artworks before for my InTouch bodies of work, and I know my way around soft materials. I love the problem-solving aspect of artmaking. For this project I would have to come up with an idea that made sense, a plan to build it, get some help, and work out a lot of logistics. It took four months and lot of hands, but as of August 2025 Toxic Beauty is rideable by the public. Check out the Cannonball Arts website for hours and ticketing information.

I was on hand for the opening events for artists and for the public so I got to witness audiences responding with enthusiasm to the offerings at Cannonball, which include multiple murals, an incredible life-sized whale skeleton by Casey Curran (complete with moving parts), a VR-headset ride by Brent Watanabe, a light installation by Ben Zamora, a generative light installation in the theatre room by Mare Hirsch, a set of transformed mini fridges, animations and digital work, an indoor sculpture park with floating sculptures on a pond, a gallery section, and more.

I also got to see the reactions and expressions of riders on Toxic Beauty. I get a lot of personal satisfaction from prompting joy and delight; by that measure alone this project was a success. If you venture to Cannonball Arts I’d love to see your images and video— you can tag me in them or use the hashtag #RideTheNudi . Which somehow wasn’t even a hashtag before!?

Above: Toxic Beauty riders at the opening receptions in August.

I’ve been recording photos and videos of my process, and I’ve edited some “making-of” videos and posted them to a playlist on my YouTube channel- you can see the videos of the nudibranch coming to life here.

Finally, I’ve posted a slideshow of images below that reveal the process of creating Toxic Beauty. This is where I’d like to once again express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who came to volunteer in my studio- poking at wool, sharing stories, and helping me problem-solve on the way to making a rideable sea slug. Thank you!