Singapore’s Changi Airport is well-known for having a wide, wonderful and somewhat over-the-top array of attractions for travelers to enjoy while they’re stuck at the airport.

Among my many favorites are the giant indoor slide –

And the sunflower and butterfly gardens -

The airport goes all out during the holidays with floral displays and decorations and this year the airport has installed a series of giant topiaries (plants and shrubs grown and shaped into figures and structures) in the form of iconic landmarks from around the world. Look for the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the Temple of Heaven, Singapore’s Merlion and others.

Categories: Art, Events, Holidays
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To the dismay of the mayor of Indianapolis, many local citizens, much of the arts community in Indiana and beyond and, most of all, artist James Wille Faust, on Monday night workers removed Faust’s site-specific work, Chrysalis, from its prominent spot over the main escalators at Indianapolis International Airport.

Chrysalis had been made for and installed in the airport’s new passenger terminal back in 2008, as part of the $4 million collection of permanent public art work that had been commissioned for the building from 17 artists and six poets.

But at IND airport, “permanent” doesn’t seem to mean what we thought. Faust’s work is to be replaced by what the airport calls an “innovative LED video wall … that will feature video-based artworks and commercial advertising.”

The video wall, to be installed in time for holiday travel, will be 22 feet wide and 7.5 feet tall and, in addition to advertising, will feature a video art series put together by curators from the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

According to a release from the airport, in its first year, the On Screen art program will feature Perm Press: The American Cycle (2011), a video by Indianapolis-based artist Artur Silva that runs about a minute and includes images of Abraham Lincoln and other American icons. A project by New York-based Nina Katchadourian called Seat Assignment (2011) will follow.

In a statement, airport authority CEO John Clark said the removal of Chrysalis and the installment of the video wall was a decision made in part “to remain competitive and support our goal of being the airport system of choice.”

But many local residents, including Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard, were disappointed in the decision.

“Mayor Ballard has long believed and publicly stated that visitors to our city should be welcomed by a high profile display of public art,” said Mark Lotter of the mayor’s office.

Faust also issued a statement that said in part, “We believe this defiant and perceived underhanded action speaks for itself.”

Categories: Art
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Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is presenting a new exhibit titled:

Sharon Taffet: Fanciful Footwear.

“…[I]nspired by Philadelphia author Jennifer Weiner, who wrote ‘In Her Shoes,’ Taffet began to create a series of embellished, one-of-a-kind footwear. Using only a single shoe or boot – never working with pairs – she thematically decorates and adorns them with fun items such as costume jewelry, feathers, artificial fruit and foliage, shells, candy, playing cards and dice. Decorated with a variety of different textures, patterns and colors, a regular store-bought shoe is transformed into a sculptural work of art. Each shoe is fanciful and whimsical and provides viewers with a decorative delight.”

Sharon Taffet: Fanciful Footwear will be on display in Terminal D through February 2012.

Categories: Art
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If you’re very lucky, you’ll end up getting stuck for a while at San Francisco International Airport sometime between now and the end of May 2012.

When you do, rush over to the pre-security departure lobby of the International Terminal Main Hall to see the exhibition of automata and “self-moving” mechanical creations on loan from the Morris Museum in Morristown New Jersey, which houses the incredible Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata.

Here’s a link to a radio piece I produced about the collection for NPR back in the 2005.

Categories: Art, Exhibits
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On Wednesday, November 16th, 2011, Nashville International Airport officially dedicates a new large-scale piece of public art titled: ‘Wind Reeds.’

The piece was created for the airport’s new rental car facility by Ned Kahn and features hundreds of hinged aluminum elements that sway in the wind, mimicking a grass-like effect.

Here’s a bit of Kahn’s artist statement about the work:
“…Even from a great distance, the proposed sculpture functions as a dynamic beacon for the airport. Similar to watching the wind blow through a field of tall grass or the wind playing on the surface of water, the artwork fosters a welcoming mood of contemplation and wonder. My hope is that the artwork will function as a register for the ever-changing wind and create a unique kinetic portal for Nashville that will remind people of the magic and mystery of the world that we live in.”

Nashville International Airport has lots of other permanent and temporary art work, art exhibits and live music year-round. If you’re heading that way, be sure to check the schedule so you don’t miss something really great.

Categories: Art, Uncategorized
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