Our regular feature celebrates memorable scenes, moments, launches and campaigns from the global aviation and travel retail sphere.
USA. Today’s choice, first noted by Bitmore Founder & CEO Hoj Parmar on LinkedIn, comes from Tampa International Airport in Florida.
“This will be a magnet for selfies,” noted Hoj of this giant 21-foot, floor-to-ceiling flamingo sculpture in the main terminal building.
It already is. The work is by American artist Matthew Mazzotta and has created a tremendous buzz since being installed in Spring 2022.
The Moodie Davitt Report has long championed the concept of ‘airports as artports’, publishing a long-running editorial series under that banner in our eZine until the pandemic struck. Well we are bringing the idea back to life and what better example to start with than Mazzotta’s extraordinary work?
It’s called HOME and depicts a hand-sculpted resin and fiberglass flamingo as it gently dips its head beneath the surface of the water. The immersive installation, located prominently near the Shoppes at Bayshore, transports viewers underwater, inviting them to walk up and share a simple moment in the life of one of Florida’s most well-known birds.
Here’s what the artist himself has to say about his work.
“Flights arrive and depart from the Tampa International Airport, bringing people – from their home, back home, to a new home, or a place that ‘feels like home’. The idea of ‘home’in Florida is not only for people, it is also home for the abundance of wildlife that lives here as well.
“One of the most iconic animals of Florida is the flamingo, and even though its popularity and image graces innumerable pieces of memorabilia that claim to be from Florida, for years this beautiful bird has been thought to be non-native. However, recent research has changed the story of the flamingo’s home, and new findings trace its roots to Florida, which has caused a stir and excitement among researchers and residents.”
“HOME is a site-specific art installation… which gives time and space for travellers from all over the world to take a deeper look at the bird whose image is literally all over Florida.
“However, the story of HOME is not about whether someone or something, is originally from here or not. The exaggerated scale of the flamingo in HOME puts the lives of these birds in the focus, and puts us, as humans, in awe as they tower above us, reminding us that we all share the same home.”
Note: The Moodie Davitt Report publishes a regular Newsletter titled Airport Consumer Experience, in association with Airport Dimensions, dedicated to airport guest services and experiences.
To subscribe free of charge please email Kristyn@MoodieDavittReport.com headed ‘Airport Customer Experience’. All stories are permanently archived on the Airport Consumer Experience page on this website.
