“Loops,” a public art installation that expresses the wonder of flight and signifies tremendous scale, airways and the sensation of weightless suspension, is on view in The Plaza at the corner of Concourse D and E at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Created by Los Angeles-based kinetic artist Christian Moeller, the artwork is inspired by aircraft holding patterns created by jet planes, which sometimes appear as white condensation trails in the sky above airports. Two gracefully curved lines, made from aluminum tubing and color coated with industrial automotive paint, are animated by a constant and slow rotation.
“Formally the work strives to be iconic, graceful, voluminous and levitating, while leaving room for multiple interpretations and readings,” Moeller said in his concept for the work.
“Loops” is the centerpiece artwork for the airport’s East Terminal Expansion, which adds approximately 51,000-square feet to the airport’s D/E Connector, a food court, baggage handling area, new escalators and more.
“Moeller situates his sculptures in time and space,” said ASC Vice President of Public Art Carla Hanzal. “The choreography of the two interacting objects is elegant and subtle. In the evening, dramatic shadows are projected on the adjacent wall creating an animated line drawing.”
Funding for the artwork is in accordance with the City of Charlotte’s Public Art Ordinance, which allocates one percent of the total construction budgets for eligible capital projects for public art. ASC manages the public art programs for the city and Mecklenburg County.
The commissioning budget for “Loops” is $637,500, which includes the artist’s fee, design, engineering, fabrication, transportation and installation costs.
The airport is a self-sustaining enterprise fund and revenues generated from airport user and vendor fees fund public art at the airport. The purpose of the public art program at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport is to promote Charlotte and the region and to enhance the passenger experience. Other recent additions to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s public art collection include digitally reproduced artworks by local artists Ráed Al-Rawi and Nico Amortegui in the airport A & B Concourses and “Interconnected,” created by Los Angeles-based artist Refik Anadol for Phase I of the Concourse A Expansion and one of the largest digital public artworks in the world.
About Christian Moeller
Christian Moeller is a German-born artist and professor in the Department of Design and Media Arts at UCLA. His large-scale, site-specific artworks explore the synergies between architecture, sound, technology and movement.
About Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), a City of Charlotte department, welcomes more than 46 million passengers annually. CLT is ranked among the top 10 busiest airports in the world, averaging 1,400 daily arrivals and departures. Charlotte Douglas is served by eight major carriers, 15 regional carriers and three foreign flag carriers with nonstop service to 178 destinations, including 37 international locations and three U.S. territories.
As an economic engine of the Carolinas, CLT contributes $23 billion in annual economic output, $1.1 billion in state/local taxes, 132,330 jobs for North Carolina residents and $5.7 billion in personal income, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation Division of Aviation.
About ASC
ASC is the chief advocate, resource hub and steward for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region’s cultural community. Its core functions include advocacy, cultural education programs, cultural planning, fundraising, grant making, public art and workshops and trainings for the cultural community. ASC works to ensure Culture For All by combining resources from local and state government with those of the private sector to maximize community impact throughout the cultural sector. ASC’s mission is to ensure access to an excellent, relevant, and sustainable cultural community for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region.