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Art for the masses in transit

Elizabeth Bard IHT

21 June 2004 - PARIS: Chances are there is a new exhibition opening near you - somewhere between check-in and baggage claim. In an effort to humanize terminals and entertain waiting passengers, airports have woken up to the power of art and design.

An airport is a first impression, and one goal of art in airports is to give bleary-eyed passengers a clue about where they are. "The problem with airports," said Geoffrey Conaghan, manager for corporate affairs at Melbourne Airport, "is there's a bland internationalism to them. We wanted to create a sense of place."

To do this, Melbourne, like an increasing number of airports, has hired a local art consultant. The focus is on living artists and creating a collection that reflects the local community.

Choosing works is often a political as well as an artistic exercise; a significant portion of Melbourne's collection is devoted to the work of aboriginal artists.

"Aboriginal works are of particular interest to our international visitors," Conaghan said. Melbourne Airport owns the last major commission by Lin Onus, a prominent artist of aboriginal and Scottish decent. His giant diptych "Fish at Dusk" and "Fish and Ferns" was just moved from the arrival terminal to the company boardroom.

While airport collections often contain famous names, the art itself is rarely controversial. The conventions of public art (and public financing) demand that airport collections consider the wide range of religious and political beliefs held by travelers.

On the issue of content, "Common sense is the benchmark," Conaghan said. Landscapes and abstract art are particularly popular; you're unlikely to see full frontal nudity on your way to Euro Disney.

Many airports have gone beyond permanent, site-specific works to sponsor temporary exhibitions. In 1980 San Francisco International Airport joined forces with local museums to create San Francisco Airport Museums, which now includes 20 spaces throughout the terminals. Recent exhibitions include quilts made by black Americans, maps of America and "At the President's Table," a collection of porcelain from the White House. In 1999, the museums became the first airport program to be accredited by the American Association of Museums.

San Francisco Airport also maintains a permanent collection of such artists as Isamu Noguchi and Sam Francis, the architect and installation artist Vitto Acconci and the ceramist Viola Frey. To build permanent collections, many airports depend on a "percentage for the arts." These local planning policies allocate a percentage of building or redevelopment costs, usually between 1 and 2 percent, to financing public art.

Sometimes, the building itself is a work of art. In 2000, Copenhagen International Airport restored its original terminal, a 1939 structure designed by the architect Vilhelm Lauritzen. With its sleek staircase and undulating roof of warm golden brick, the terminal is considered a major work of Nordic functionalist and international modernist architecture and is now a designated historic building.

Famous contemporary architects have also left their mark on airports. Norman Foster, the winner of the 1999 Pritzker Architecture Prize, designed the soaring ceilings of Britain's Stansted Airport and Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport before turning his attention to London's Millennium Bridge and the Great Court at the British Museum.

The kind of art you see in an airport may depend on how much you paid for your ticket. British Airways' new first-class lounge in Terminal One at Heathrow contains prints by Patrick Caulfield and Mark Quinn, and a light installation with Swarovski crystals by Tord Boontje, a Dutch designer who works in London. Terminal Four's first-class lounge has works by Bridget Riley and by Damien Hirst and Julian Opie, stars of the Young British Artist movement that took hold in the 1990s.

BA's use of contemporary art is an exercise in branding, an attempt to associate the airline with the sizzle of Britain's contemporary art scene.

"In the past our brand personality was a little bit middle-aged," says Gary Ranns of British Airways. "We are now capturing a younger element, and contemporary art reinforces that message. You've been to the Tate Modern and seen Rothkos and Bridget Rileys, then you come to our lounges and realize that's not a copy on the wall - it's the real thing."

Culture in airports is not limited to the visual arts. Nashville International airport has three sound stages for live musical performances. In 2000, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport inherited a four-story high model of a brachiosaurus from the Field Museum of Chicago. The museum found itself a bigger dinosaur.

Last month, the American Association of Airport Executives held its third annual workshop on "arts in the airport," in Scottsdale, Arizona, which attracted airport staff responsible for cultural programming to share advice on financing, lighting and public relations, among other things. There was even a "slide slam" - think poetry slam - an open mike session for those who wanted to boast about their airport's art collection.

Their mission may be to bring culture to the masses, but since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, these executives have found themselves trying to boost travelers' morale.

Yolanda Sanchez, director of cultural affairs at Miami International Airport, said: "Post-9/11 there is a real interest in helping people transition through this space. Flying has become very stressful. Give people something that's entertaining, distracting, nurturing - that's a real customer service."

Source: International Herald Tribune

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