The Birds Minus Hitchcock

This past weekend began in Sacramento, had two hours layover in Dallas, stopped for a night in Tulsa, Oklahoma to celebrate an 80th birthday and then returned home to Davis, California. Each airport I venture through displays art containing certain characteristics that pertains to the specific city it resides in while still maintaining a worldly, general appeal to all types of travelers. One piece that I was particularly struck by was an instillation sculpture by Dennis Oppenheim.

Here is a little background information about Sacramento International Airport’s relationship with nature. According to www.kcra.com news "More bird strikes are reported at Sacramento International Airport than any other airport in California." As you might expect birds and airplanes do not mix well as demonstrated when headlines read 'Miracle on the Hudson'. Because of such incidents Sacramento International Airport officials are attempting to pass a Bill that enables the killing and removing of the birds in the name of public safety. Oppenheim utilized the infamy of the Sacramento birds and creates a public installation that contributes to the characterization of the airport while using flight and the resemblance to a commercial aircraft, a universal symbol of travel. The birds are large metal sculptures that act as a cohesive fleet swooping out of the parking structure towards the terminal. Some contain markings on their sides to reference windows and most of the metal cuts and body pieces are very angular and ridge similarly to jet planes. The birds are positioned to be almost striking back at the institution that is threatening their existence. Some public opinion reflects sympathy for the birds and criticizes the airport’s poor design to build on what used to be a wetland and a habitat for so many native animals. This single instillation emphasizes bad design decisions, human versus nature themes and the welcoming of unfamiliar travelers to the city of Sacramento.

image provided by flickr

More D.O:

Oppenheim is an internationally known artist who has made a name for himself doing large scale public installations. In the work below he was inspired by the shape of the pop culture candy, the Hershey’s kiss, as well as the Muslim tear drop dome architectural form.

Oppenheim also constructed “Crystal Mountain” in the Dallas Forth Worth Airport where I had my connecting flight this past weekend.

images from http://www.dennis-oppenheim.com/works