Miami International Airport (MIA) offers a quarterly screening series featuring contemporary art and image-making by South Florida-based video artists.
On view now near Gate J7 is a series of short experimental films and video art addressing themes of migration, travel, and journeys that are both physical and surreal. The work on view is by artists Carola Bravo, Claudio Marcotulli and Dinorah de Jesús Rodríguez.
Here’s a video of Migration Dreams #3, from Carola Bravo’s series of video art inspired by The Migration Series and Bravo’s own history as a Venezuelan immigrant.
Claudio Marcotulli’s feature, Remo Memories is an avant-doc short film about a journey through childhood, memory, and water.
And Casas viajantes, by Dinorah de Jesús Rodríguez, mixes handmade celluloid film with digital video and includes footage of the artist’s family’s immigration journey.
A new exhibit, titled Imprinted, featuring 16 images by Argentine photographer Marina Font, is on display at MIA’s gates D-22 and D-25, through February 18, 2020.
Marina Font – Dos Mundos
Font photographs objects
that evoke a particular place or personal history to explore ideas about
identity, gender, territory, language and memory
Marina Font – untitled suitcase series
And MIA recently showed off its new $324-million state-of-the-art,
fully automated baggage handling system.
The system can screen and transport more than 7,000 bags an hour,
which doubles the speed and efficiency of baggage screening and delivery for
flights in MIA’s Central and South terminals.
If so,
look for the exhibition Destination Deco, by Gate D29, which is filled with cool Art
Deco objects from the Wolfsonian-FIU museum’s current
exhibition, Deco:
Luxury to Mass Market.
Here are some notes about
what’s on view:
Before
traveling to the United States and becoming a mainstay of Miami Beach’s
world-famous architecture, Art Deco was celebrated at the 1925 Paris International Exposition and then spread throughout Europe.
Designers
in the United States turned to affordable materials and used aerodynamic forms
and horizontal bands to convey speed.
From
exquisite handcraft to streamlined product design, this installation reveals
the multi-faceted character of the iconic style.
The Wolfsonian museum sits
just two blocks from the beach in the heart of Miami Beach’s Art Deco district
and explores what it means to be modern through a great collection of art,
design and everyday objects.
The list of airlines participating in the TSAPrecheck program, which gives travelers access to an expedited line at airport security lanes, is growing.
New on the list of participating airlines: Qatar Airways and Edelweiss Air. That brings the list of participating airlines up to 67.
Edelweiss operates at 5 U.S. airports; Qatar has flights in and out of 10 U.S. airports.
Another robot for Austin-Bergstrom Int’l Airport
Need coffee when you travel? Of course you do.
At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport there are now two places you can have a robot-machine brew you a cup 24 hours a day.
Austin-based Briggo is opening its second robotic Coffee Haus location at AUS in May inside the new nine-gate expansion space. The first machine is at Gate 17.
What we’re reading: working conditions at Miami International Airport
Working conditions at airports in the news
This disturbing CBS Miami story is about terrible working conditions for many employess at Miami International Airport. The story raises real concerns not just about some of the lowest paying workers at this airport, but about working conditions for employees at other airports.
The story describes low pay and terrible and dangerous working conditions for many people hired to clean airplanes, move baggage and do others tasks key to keeping your trip on track.
Here’s an excerpt:
A crew of four cabin cleaners can be given as little as ten minutes to clean a plane. They claim that is not enough time. Eulen disagrees, stating “…our workforce is sufficient to meet and face the demand.”
One cabin cleaner described what they can face on a plane: “You can find blankets with blood, people puke in the blankets, you can find Pampers on the floor.”
He said his supervisor has told him not to waste time cleaning too thoroughly. “Just make it look like it look nice and clean, just a rag and you are done.”
The contractor referenced is Eulen America, which provides a variety of services to Delta, American and likely other airlines not just at MIA, but at Fort Lauderdale, Washington DC and New York.
The connection between airports, airlines and Game of Thrones?
Not really sure (because I don’t follow the series), but PR Week noticed that at least one airline – Southwest – and one airport – Miami International – shared on-point tweets recently about their final season of GOT excitement. (Thanks, MIA)
And, for Game of Thrones fans who like drinking – or for travelers who’d like to show up with a great gift for a Game of Thrones fans – I spotted a collection of single-malt whiskeys in collectible Game of Thrones bottles for sale a Singapore’s Changi Airport last week.
