Approach, Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal A, 2022
Powder-coated aluminum, stainless steel and Alucobond Commissioned by PANYNJ and Public Art Fund h. 52 ft. diam. 20 ft. To create Approach, I embarked on an extensive photographic survey of Newark and the surrounding region. The resulting photos of land and sky are fragmented, then suspended in two helix-like structures: one that depicts daytime, and the other night. Each photographic ring is double-sided, and presents two distinct views: when looking up, a bird’s eye view; and when looking down from above, a skyward view. Both sculptures can be viewed from all three terminal levels. A mirrored disc near the ceiling reflects and inverts the images of the sky and the terminal architecture and activity. These inversions echo the temporary disorientation that travel often causes as we transit multiple time zones to arrive in different places with new perceptions. As passengers approach the sculptures, the rings begin to align concentrically, revealing a rich topographical mosaic. They appear to move—compressing or expanding as our view shifts. The result is a study of both landscape and time, two elements that define our unique experience of place.