Wingspun (on display now)
Location: International Arrivals Corridor
Artist: Ellen Driscoll of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Installation: October 2008
Ellen Driscoll's glass installation extends 780 feet along the international arrivals corridor, which overlooks concourse C. The piece provides visitors with a poetic set of coordinates to guide them as they disembark from their international flight and walk to U.S. Customs.
The design complements the “over-under” gesture of the terminal roof and mimics the movement of a bird's wing, as well as the interaction between the warp and weft in weaving, which is also a Terminal 2 design theme. A horizontal band traverses the mid-section of each glass panel and is a repeat pattern of a simple “basketweave” structure.
Driscoll's piece combines large gestures easily caught by those walking at a quick pace, as well as more detailed “micro gestures” that repeat travelers will discover. The larger gestures of the motion of a bird's wing in flight, along with an insect wing in flight, and the helix of DNA are linked to each other, while being informally linked to the roof structure.
Gate of Earth (on display now)
Location: North Terminal Entry
Artist: Lydia Rubio; Miami, FL
Installation: October 2008
Artist Lydia Rubio's commission consists of two pieces featured in light wells located at the entrance to Terminal 2. The first piece “Gate of Earth” is an aluminum and steel tree that begins outside and appears to enter the inside of the terminal.
The artwork considers feelings associated with leaving or returning home or traveling into the world. Traditional North Carolina symbols — trees and birds — are combined with the words of North Carolina writer Thomas Wolfe. |
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The south light well work will represent the elements of air and water, which are symbolized by a spiral that builds upward from a sea shell. This sculpture evokes an upward growth, a transformation from solid to light. This piece will be installed in the winter of 2011. |
Welcome (Coming in 2011)
Location: Domestic Arrivals Corridor
Artist: Robert Kushner of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Installation: Winter 2011 |
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Passengers returning home or ending their journey at RDU will be greeted by a stone and glass mosaic mural created by Robert Kushner. The mural features a meadow of indigenous North Carolina flora and fauna. The familiar landscape of a meadow reminds travelers that they are at the end of a voyage and mimics the natural grasses found in North Carolina.
In the piece, Kushner incorporates the Terminal 2 roofline, which echoes the rolling hills of North Carolina. Beneath the hills is a close up view of a meadow, which represents the humble elements of life that are easy to overlook in favor of more colorful events. However, when scrutinized, they yield a basic and dignified beauty that is specific and geographically unique.
Kushner's mural features five different meadow grasses that were collected after a study of native North Carolina grasses in bloom. The marble mosaic is 7 ft high by 85 ft long.
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Triplet (Coming in 2011)
Location: Central Atrium
Artist: Ed Carpenter; Portland, OR
Installation: Winter 2011
The spirit of Terminal 2 's guiding theme of handmade and mind made, is embodied in Ed Carpenter's work to be located in the terminal's central atrium in the second phase of terminal development. The piece features refined, hand-finished materials as reminders of North Carolina's legacy of craftsmanship. Wood masts, tipped with dichroic glass and LED lighting, are suspended from stainless steel cables. The sculpture creates triangular forms that suggest the Research Triangle Region.
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The sculpture will be an unmistakable icon and marker, providing identification and orientation to the traveler. It is positioned to be seen from long distances on either axis of the airline check-in area and reveals increased complexity as one approaches and is experienced freshly from every angle.
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Cloudscape (Coming in 2011)
Location: Concourse D
Artist: Mei-ling Hom
Installation: Winter 2011
Suspended above the concourse, Cloudscape will provide passengers with “a place of contemplation and dreams for travelers anticipating their new destinations,” says artist Mei-ling Hom. She also describes the cloud as symbolic of voyaging beyond the horizon and ascending from the ground.
The hanging sculpture comprises about 50 intricate cloud formations from steel hex netting suspended by discreet cabling. The clouds will vary in size from two to 20 feet and will span the entire width of the concourse. Some will touch the ceilings, while others will dip to 18 feet from the floor.
Learn about other works of art at RDU. |
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