Of Airport Art and Architecture
Travelling by air has become accessible to more people in recent decades, due in part to the availability of budget airlines. This accessibility has rendered air travel to a mundane logistical exercise rather than a journey of discovery to foreign lands.
Two airports sought to restore the magic of travel to their passengers by setting up exceptionally innovative installations in their terminals.
Los Angeles Airport, USA
Travellers going through the newly refurbished Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), due to open in August this year, will be dazzled by an interactive multimedia system providing an unforgettable experience.
The main showpiece is an impressive 22m tall digital clock tower, reminiscent of the grand old clocks in European train stations. Curious passers-by will be able to interact with screens on the first level of the tower and see the visuals change before their eyes.
Extending along the length of the Welcome Hall are 10 columns with digital screens which will react and change in response to passengers passing by.
Changi Airport, Singapore
Not to be out-done, the award-winning Changi Airport also unveiled two exciting installations recently.
The ‘Kinetic Rain’ art sculpture was created to mark the completion of Terminal 1’s refurbishment in 2012. The installation has pride of place in the terminal’s departure hall and consists of 1,216 bronze droplets. These are programmed to move gracefully in unison, morphing into different mesmerising shapes.
Watch these ‘raindrops’, and see if you can spot a hot air balloon, an aeroplane and various other shapes!
After watching the tropical ‘rain’ at the welcome area, Terminal 1 passengers can proceed to share memories of their visit by posting photos and videos on ‘The Social Tree’, a 9m tall structure located after the check-in area.
The ‘Social Tree’ is surrounded by 8 touch-screen photo booths where visitors can upload their photos onto the Tree’s colourful crown of 64 giant screens. These screens display a 360 degree view of the Singapore skyline together with various animated backgrounds.
Visitors who shared their memories will have the unique experience to “re-live” their visit again, as uploaded photos and videos from the ‘Social Tree’ can be retrieved the next time they travel through Changi Airport.
