At Large Airport Art
posted by on March 16 at 8:55 AM
I’m at Eugene’s airport, which is tiny and charming, as airports go. But the “art” in Eugene’s airport is almost as annoying/upsetting as those piles of glass bones are at Sea-Tac. (Yeah, that’s what I like to think about on my way to the plane, Sea-Tac—bleached bones, violent death, rot, decay.) The long hall that leads to the A Gates here is decorated with… images of people flying! But not in airplanes. They’re just, you know, soaring through the air…
Here’s a close-up…
Flying. People flying. But not in planes. Flying like Superman! That’s cute. But to my eyes—to the eyes of a terrified all-too-frequent flyer—these people don’t look like they’re flying. They look like they’re falling. It looks like the plane they were on split in two, spilling people into the sky a mile up, and now everyone is plummeting toward earth, with their carry-ons, where they’ll land with a splat. And die.
Like I said, not as bad as all those “glass art” bones at Sea-Tac. But still not something I wanna see before I board.
Okay, popping a Xanax now.
Um, have you ever seen the suicidal art on the outside of the parking garage on 5th across from the KC jail?
now that is some WTF? art right there.
My favorite tiny airport is at Bend, Oregon. So lodgy!
Ha ha...I remember when those pictures were being taken. I went to the photographer's studio and also posed (I think that there was an ad in the newspaper), but, from what I've seen, I didn't make the final cut.
Ugh! I hate flying! I would be totally freaked out if I saw bones or falling people depicted at the airport. It's bad enough having to watch the pilots get on the plane--"I'm putting my life in THAT guy's hands?"
The neon lit freak out tunnel between United concourse B and C at O'Hare never fails to bring me back to my high school acid laced days.
My favorite airport art ever are the little glass-window casinos in the gate areas of Las Vegas Airport.
These aren't meant to be art, I don't think. But I love the way they articulate the zoo-like quality of casinos into these mini-aquariums of chain-smokers needing a slot machine fix.
That said, Vegas airport does surprisingly decent art (meaning the decorations meant to be art) compared to the casinos in the city themselves.
Glasgow's Prestwick Airport (not actually even near Glasgow) has the motto "Pure Dead Brilliant," which is displayed in huge letters outside the terminal. Of course, it's the word "dead" that catches your eye as you walk in.
Those flying people have always freaked me out in Eugene. Don't linger long in that town!
The art at DIA has extremely bizarre esoteric conotations to it. Lots of overt masonic imagery, with a smattering of ethereal nazi references. The new world order is pround of the overt evil messages being spoon fed the prolls on their way to the sunny simulacra of Disneyworld. Just letting us know whose in charge.
Art is power...
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.... thud
@ 1: Will you take and post a photo of the art you're talking about? I'd love to see it.
I think I'd be a lot more freaked out by these if the images were arranged on a vertically oriented, rather than a horizontally oriented surface - plus I'm guessing (@4 could probably confirm this) they were done pre 9/11?
What about the creepy flying uteruses (uteri?) at Sea-Tac? The white ones fly above, and the black ones sit nearby, discarded on some steps. It ruins my morning every time I fly Delta.
Yeah thats a cool piece 98104. Very interesting sequence of somebody jumping, falling and the final SPLAT!
Its very northwest, I like it. They should do a similar one at the Aurora bridge, though I think the phones on the bridge are somewhat of an art piece.
Gee, Dan - sorry that upset you. Kind of reminded me of how I felt after starting the day reading about a 6 month old baby dying of an overdose.
@11 I'll try and snap a photo by tomorrow. just tested my google and flickr fu and came up empty handed. It's a fairly new installation as the garage was recently remodeled.
And if anyone wants to beat me to it, go for it.
btw it's not mentioned on the seattle gov's art walk maps http://www.seattle.gov/Arts/publications/publicart/walkingtours/downloads/halls.pdf
And as far as flying with helpful pharmaceuticals goes, my favorite is two Vicodin with a 5mg kicker of Valium. Last month I sat for two hours on the runway at JFK next to a Mormon woman and her infant son, with two infants in the seats behind me, followed by the 6 hour flight to Seattle, and I never lost my cool.
The Sea-Tac art of the freakishly hideous magician always puts me in a bad mood for flying. Or living, for that matter.
It was back in the early '90s when they were taken (if not the late '80s).
Eugene boy here (living in Seattle since early 1990s). The art wasn't well appreciated when hung back when I was regularly traveling through that airport.
But, Dan, isn't this a Rorschach test? I see people flying at ease; you see them falling through the air.
I love flying (though I prefer to do it myself). However:
The morning of September 11, 2001, I was on a United Airlines flight bound for Seattle out of San Francisco (having been delayed flying out of JFK the night before, and spending the night on a bench at SFO). When the FAA stopped the system, we diverted to Eugene. Emerging from the plane, we joined the small crowds in the concourse watching the live coverage of the towers collapsing... and before that, the footage of ordinary people dressed in business clothes plummeting to their deaths.
If that art was hanging on the airport walls back then, I didn't notice it -- and for that I'm grateful. I certainly wouldn't have appreciated it.
retarded. straight guy idea.
Hypnotheraphy works dude, trust me. As a former Catholic and person afraid of many thing including flying I have to say it's worth a try. I was popping zanex and stuff and still freakingout, now it's ok. Not fun but ok. Anyway I am sure I sound like a crazy new agey person but hey try it.
I have very fond memories of the flying people at the Eugene airport. Probably because when I was a child living in Eugene, getting to fly on an airplane was an adventure. Besides, I recognize a few of the people.
Seeing that wall close-up, I have to agree with you that those images are really creepy. (and totally out of place for an airport). Oh well, safe flying, Dan.
I always figured those were the Eugenites being Raptured.
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