An airport installation is a great way to enhance the travel experience, especially since airports tend to be a stressful spaces and art is known to entertain and distract. Recently, New York City-based artists Hank Willis Thomas and Coby Kennedy were tapped by Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to create an airport installation.
The sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas and Coby Kennedy is called REACH and it seeks to "inspire us to come together." Two all-white hands reach toward each other above the escalators in the Multi-Modal Facility (MMF). The airport installation is " part of a larger expansion and modernization of the airport’s Terminal Five." A total of $3.5 million USD has been allocated to this project and other sculptures have gone up in recent years.
Image Credit: Nicole Harrison/Coby Kennedy/For Freedom, <a rel='nofollow' href='https://hypebeast.com/2023/5/hank-willis-thomas-coby-kennedy-chicago-airport-sculpture-look-info'>hypebeast</a>
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Airport Art Installations
- Opportunity for artists and designers to create engaging and inspiring art installations in airports to enhance the travel experience.
- Multi-modal Public Art
- Opportunity to create large-scale art installations in transportation hubs such as airports, train stations or bus terminals.
- Socially Engaged Sculptures
- Opportunity to create sculptures that encourage people to engage with each other and to build community in public spaces.
Sectors Adopting This
- Airport Industry
- Opportunity to differentiate airport experiences by commissioning unique and engaging public art installations.
- Art and Design Industry
- Opportunity for artists and designers to expand their clientele and create unique public installations in transportation hubs.
- Tourism Industry
- Opportunity to promote travel experiences by highlighting the unique art installations at airports and transportation hubs.
