airFIELD is a dynamic sculpture synced to real-time flight data reflecting the heartbeat of the world’s busiest air travel hub, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Suspended in the center of the airport’s new international terminal, the 90-foot-long by 30-foot-wide (27.4m x 9.1m) data-driven art piece evokes the wonder of flight with its two intersecting, sweeping forms.
Developed and fabricated by the digital art platform UEBERSEE, airFIELD is composed of thousands of custom-made liquid crystal discs that change from opaque to transparent states with an electric charge. All of the sculpture’s discs are controlled by a custom-engineered computer program. The software constantly monitors a live stream of Atlanta flight traffic data that triggers generative motion behavior rippling through the sculpture. These movements follow coded dynamic parameters, allowing for an ever-evolving visual experience that creates the sensation of flight.
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Design Team:
Jamie Barlow, Dan Goods
Nik Hafermaas (artists)
Daniel Massey (programming)
Gustave Huber (technical direction)
Andrew Kudless/Matsys (Parametric Design)
Alex Smith (iPad hacking)
Consultants:
Simon Franklyn with Andersen and Associates (engineering); Katherine Marbury, David Vogt (art consultants)
Fabricators:
Jim Hetherington, UEBERSEE, Inc. (fabrication and installation)
Jamie Barlow, UEBERSEE, Inc. (project management)
Citala US Inc. (liquid crystal discs)
FlightAware Inc. (real time data feeds)
Jury Comments:
“A Georgia native, I frequently find myself at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. airFIELD is quiet, complex, and meditative. It is a nice respite for harried, weary travelers.”
“This is an innovative way to activate a space through a dynamic piece of sculpture. The solution and integration of data interpretation to drive the sculpture is both elegant and contextually intriguing.”