The very nature and purpose of an airport suggests a culture of transience.So what happens when one international airport makes a bold move to give travellers an altogether different experience?
Melbourne Airport’s International Departures Lounge is doing just that.
A series of 13 superbly composed Visual Resource photographic artworks arrest any sense of displacement and instead emotively connect travellers back to their departure city.
What better way to celebrate the state than through visual art triggering instant emotion; be it pride from a local as they prepare to head off from home, or fond memories from a visitor as they reflect on their time away.
The client was instantly ‘blown away’ by the bespoke images presented by Visual Resource, and knew giant-sized depictions (the largest being 8,200mm x 3,400mm) would do more than simply give the area an instant reinvigoration.
“The images just jumped out at us in the way they embrace the unique essence of our home. They capture the soul of our state, and put it on display for all to respond in their own personal way, to share and to enjoy,” said Melbourne Airport spokesperson Natalie Kayll.
Visual Resource proved to be a wealth of artistic expertise and creative advice, working within a broad brief to create a strong, cohesive response. Importantly, the installation team was respectful of the constraints.
“It goes without saying an international airport is a 24/7 business – we couldn’t simply stop operations to allow for such giant artworks to be installed,” said Kayll.
With 2.5-million passengers passing through the International Departures Lounge each year, Melbourne Airport may well have inadvertently become one of the country’s most frequented photographic art galleries.