Saturday, January 20, 2018

In Praise of Airport Art



This morning I was re-watching a documentary, “Empire of the Tsars”, and was once again wowed by what I was seeing. Though the documentary is about the tsars of Russia and not about Russian art or architecture, the film shows the narrator walking in and among some amazing sights.

Walls completely painted top to ceiling in golden images. Not sure if this was at the monastery the first tsar came from, or the private chapel of the last tsar. Maybe both.

St. Basil’s Cathedral, in Red Square, looking like a fairytale crossed with an Easter egg. (Have I mentioned that my house interior is pale green, pale yellow, aqua, and peach? There used to be some pink, too, till my daughter got older and repainted her room jungle green. Now it’s lavender, and entirely in keeping with the rest of the house.)

The Peterhof palace, with its fountains and gilt… lots and lots of gilt. (Have I mentioned my fondness for shiny things?)

And many other impressive buildings, with lots of golden trim, ornate carving, and so on.

On the one hand, I was deeply impressed with this reminder of what human beings can create. On the other hand, I was reluctantly reminded that many impressive and beautiful things have been built at great cost to a lot of ordinary people.

But it doesn’t have to be so, does it? We can have interesting things to look at without being horrible to people, can’t we?

Design in inlaid linoleum flooring at Indianapolis airport
Inlaid linoleum in Indianapolis
And so I want to say a few words in praise of the art on display in airports. I really like airport art. Silver trees spreading their branches up to the ticketing floor, delicate translucent jellyfish hovering above a concessions area, colored linoleum inlaid into pictures underfoot, and giant “marble” machines where balls clank their way past flags, down funnels, ring bells, and then come to rest on a ski lift for balls, being gently raised so they can start all over again.

I like art in public places generally, but airports seem a particularly good spot for a few reasons.

1.      Airports have vast spaces that can accommodate art that is two stories tall, or needs to be well above people’s heads, or runs the length of a (long) corridor.

2.      These vast spaces are indoors, so no worries about weather.

3.      Airports are full of people. Not just local people, either. And while some  of these people are in a hurry and aren’t going to look at the art any longer than it takes to walk past it, others have time on their hands (sometimes lots of time) and can stop and stare on their way to get yet another coffee.

4.      Art--some forms in particular--have the potential to take travelers out of themselves for a moment. I’m thinking in particular of those tunnels with lights and sounds, which feel a bit like you’ve temporarily left the airport for somewhere else. Of course, I’m sure there are some travelers for whom that somewhere else is not an improvement. They would rather just walk or people-move down another forgettable corridor on their way to terminal C.  You can’t please everyone.  I like the feeling of otherwhereness.

I imagine having art in the airport adds to the cost of something—concessions, perhaps, via increased rent? But given the number of people going through, and the cost of everything else associated with maintaining an airport, it doesn’t seem like it would be all that much per person. I’d be happy to pay a little extra for a more interesting travel experience. Not a huge amount extra, mind, so I suppose the gold leaf and ornately carved marble are out, and not just because they aren’t in fashion. (Then again, we are richer than we realize.)

Art composed of old-fashioned luggage at baggage claim in Sacramento
Baggage claim in Sacramento
So the next time I’m in a new airport, possibly as a result of a canceled flight (thus going from Boston to Raleigh via Detroit, say), I will try to notice all the different artwork. Maybe I’ll take a few pictures as a reminder of what I’ve seen.

It isn’t the Peterhof palace, but it will give me something to remember on the plane ride home.

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