My At the Airport column on USATODAY.com this month describes some of the high-tech artwork at the newly opened Terminal B at Mineta San José International Airport.
You can read the entire column – High-tech art welcomes passengers at San José International Airport – on the USATODAY.com website, but I wanted to include some ‘bonus tracks’ here.
Without a doubt, the star attraction in the new terminal is the 26-foot-tall Space Observer sculpture by Bjorn Schulke in the middle of the terminal.
The glossy, all-white ‘creature’ has antennas that take pictures of what it sees, a playback screen and propellers on a set of arms of that wave about. See it in action on this video.
Down on the baggage claim level, there are two glass exhibit cases displaying Silicon Valley treasures.
Small Wonders includes technology-influenced “curiosities” by various artists.
The Wunderkammer, by SuttonBeresCuller, is “an imaginary natural history museum diorama of the San Jose region created using recycled materials that have defined Silicon Valley.”
And listen closely as you walk through some of the terminal jetways. You might hear wild Hawaiian Chickens, the sound of Texas at dawn or the songs of sparrows. They’re some of the soundscapes Bill Fontana created to connect San José with destination cities.
Sound like fun? I spent a several hours at Mineta San José International Airport and didn’t get to see – or hear – all the artwork. And are few pieces destined for Terminal B aren’t installed yet. So now I’m scheming for a reason to go back.
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