Sydney Airport

Fresh art at Australia’s Sydney Airport

Art, ,

Fresh art at Australia’s Sydney Airport

United Neytions by Archie Moore

United Neytions by Archie Moore at Sydney Airport

A hard-to-miss work of art made up of 28 large flags now hangs from the ceiling in the international terminal at Australia’s Sydney Airport.

United Neytions is by noted contemporary artist Archie Moore and highlights the diversity of Aboriginal histories and cultures in Australia.

Archie Moore's United Neytions

Archie Moore’s  United Neytions. Photo Anna Kucera at Sydney Airport

Moore said the artwork celebrates issues of place and identity and that installing it at the airport allows the flags to adopt a scale and status more often given to international flags.

Having the flags at the airport draws attention not only to the “histories, voices and presence of local indigenous people on whose traditional lands the airport lies,” said Moore but also to “the passages of cultures, pasts, territories, ages and cultural knowledges that airports foster.”

Sydney Airport has a partnership with Australia’s Museum of Contemporary Art, which chose to bring this work to the international terminal.

Here’s a short video from an earlier installation of the work in which artist Archie Moore describes the piece in more detail, including what each flag represents and why he chose the spelling of “Neytion” for the title.

Heading to or through Sydney Airport? Let us know what the piece looks like in its new home.

Face it: Sydney Airport & Qantas testing facial recognition

Bioemetrics, , , ,

 

Sydney Airport and launch partner Qantas Airways are testing a program that allows passengers to use their faces as identification.

The trial will apply to select international flights and include four steps in the passenger journey: automated check-in, bag drop, lounge access and boarding. In the future they may add facial recognition to mobile check-in and automated border processing.

Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert said the trial is part of a broader focus on investing in technology to make the airport experience easier and more convenient for passengers.

“In the future, there will be no more juggling passports and bags at check-in and digging through pockets or smartphones to show your boarding pass – your face will be your passport and your boarding pass at every step of the process.”

Qantas Chief Customer Officer Vanessa Hudson said the airline was focused on increasing the use of technology to drive innovation for customers.

“One of our core commitments at Qantas is to make travel as attractive, convenient and enjoyable as possible,” Hudson said.

Facial recognition is in use – on both a trial and everyday use – for various steps of the airport journey at an increasing number of airports around the world, including Singapore’s Changi Airport, which uses facial recognition for bag check-in, boarding and (for some passengers) immigration in Terminal 4 and Orlando International Airport, which recently announced its commitment to processing all arriving and departing international travelers with facial recognition technology.

Souvenir Sunday: Sydney Airport

Food, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs

Beyond memories, it’s a good idea to bring home souvenirs to remind us of our adventures out in the world.

I found this addition to my growing collection of chocolate ‘poo’ at Syndey Airport, on my way home from a conference.

Just another example of the fun, inexpensive, locally-themed gifts you can find when you’re stuck at the airport.

Have you found a fun, somewhat odd gift at an airport? Snap a photo and send it along to us here at StuckatTheAirport.com. If your photo is used in a future post, you’ll receive a fun souvenir as a thank-you.

 

Souvenir Sunday at Sydney Airport

Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, ,

It’s Souvenir Sunday – the day we take a look at some of the fun, inexpensive and locally-themed souvenirs you can pick up when you’re stuck at the airport.

Because who really needs a(nother) Gucci bag, a 5 pound bag of chocolate or a heavy glass bottle of duty-free scotch that will likely fall and break before you get it through customs and home to your house?

Sydney Boxing pens

I found this week’s treats at Sydney Airport, where I spent several hours before boarding a Qantas Airways A380 for its inaugural flight from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The flight marked the first time the world’s largest airplane flew on the world’s longest route.

Sydney airport assorted

Sydney Airport platypus

Souvenir Sunday: vegemite from Sydney Airport

Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs,

It’s Souvenir Sunday – a day to take a look at the fun, inexpensive and locally-themed items you can find when you’re stuck at the airport.

This week’s pick comes to us from world-traveler Jon Douglas, who found a bin of vegemite for sale at Australia’s Sydney Airport.

What’s vegemite?

According to the Urban Dictionary: It’s a “delicious Australian spread, made from used brewer’s yeast. Non-Australians tend to give descriptions of it similar to ‘tastes like a mixture of salt and battery acid’.”

On the road a lot? If you find yourself stuck at the airport, take some time to check ou the shops. If you find a great souvenir that’s fun, inexpensive and ‘of’ the city or region, please snap a photo and send it along.

If your souvenir is featured on StuckatTheAirport.com, I’ll send you a special travel-related souvenir.