A new permanent public artwork now on display at the Kent Des Moines light rail station was designed with a specific audience in mind: people who experience art through touch.
Called “Texture of the Sound,” the tactile artwork is a collaboration between Seattle-based artists, Charan Sachar and Sarah Kavage, Sound Transit, and Highline College, including staff members Jenni Sandler and Raman Kaur, along with three students who are blind or have low vision. It is the first tactile work the Sound Transit Art program has developed.
Ashley Long, a senior project manager with Sound Transit’s Art program, said the project grew out of a gap identified during planning for artwork on the 1 Line Federal Way Link Extension. The extension includes Kent Des Moines, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown stations. Sound Transit’s community accessibility group noted that the public art planned for the extensions didn’t include projects specifically designed for blind and low vision individuals.
“We took that very seriously, and we decided to do our due diligence and create a project specifically for that community.” Long said.
Given that the Kent Des Moines station is located directly across the street from Highline College, the project presented an opportunity to engage directly with the college community.
“We were hopeful that the finished piece would resonate with the students and faculty of the college,” Long said.
Associate Dean for Accessibility Resources, Jenni Sandler helped form and facilitate the student feedback group along with Program Manager of Access Services, Raman Kaur. Highline students who took part in the project include Xochitl Navarez, Yonathan Berhan and Lauren Harding.
Xochitl completed her associate transfer degree in 2026 and plans to pursue a career in social work, with an interest in working in schools.
Yonathan began his journey at Highline through the Achieve program and previously earned an associate degree in community health and wellness. He is now on track to complete his Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Services, with plans to graduate in 2027.
Lauren Harding is pursuing an associate transfer degree and plans to graduate after winter quarter 2026. She hopes to transfer to the University of Washington Tacoma to study special education and specializing in special education law.
Over the span of six meetings with the artists, the students shared their thoughts as they reacted to different textures the artists proposed for the piece. Their input helped shape the overall direction of the artwork.
Smooth, soft, and solid surfaces elicited positive responses, as did materials such as wood, glass and plastic. Yet, rough, wet, mushy and slimy textures were rejected.
“This project has really brought about the importance of texture in my work,” Sachar said. “Everything had to have a meaning…it just doesn’t have to be texture for the sake of texture. It needs to read what it’s supposed to convey.”
During the brainstorming phase, students explained that touch and texture were important, but that texture needed to communicate something rather than simply provide sensory stimulation. There needed to be a story where exploring one portion of the mural creates curiosity about another part and clearly communicates the concept.
“I think Charan and I both came in thinking that we would do sort of an abstract, tactile explosion,” Kavage said. “Lots of patterns and colors and textures, and we clearly heard that was not going to work, and so we pivoted to this realistic beach scene.”
The resulting design depicts a Puget Sound beach, with water, mountains, a madrone tree which is native to the Pacific Northwest, a boat, flowers, and two people sitting on a quilt. It’s a nostalgic experience that most people from the Pacific Northwest are familiar with.
There are six artworks at the Kent Des Moines station, with Texture of the Sound being the final permanent artwork to be installed.
The 15’ x 10’ mosaic is located on the north side of the main entrance of Kent Des Moines station. An official unveiling will be announced later through Sound Transit’s social media channels.
And this is just the beginning.
Sound Transit hopes to use the insights and lessons gained from the project to help inform future accessible art efforts to create more opportunities for everyone to engage with public art.
Visit Sound Transit’s Instagram for art installation updates