Airports have a key role to play in championing a city’s or country’s craft, culture, tastes and traditions. For visitors they offer the first and last impression of the locality, for that city’s citizens they provide a source of civic pride. An arts & culture programme connects passengers to a place in the same way an airport connects them to the world.
Many airport companies embrace that role with pride and passion. Our new series, in association with Denizen Destination*, offers a regular showcase of airports as ‘artports’.
FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD AIRPORT – THE JOURNEY FLOOR ARTWOK
USA. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, in partnership with the Broward Cultural Division, has unveiled a terrazzo floor artwork in Terminal 1.
The work by artist Marielle Plaisir, named The Journey, displays a serene blue backdrop with intricate branches, roots, large pink flowers, green buds and golden leaves. It spans 1,578sq ft in the pedestrian bridge walkway connecting the terminal to the Hibiscus garage.
The artwork symbolises the identity of South Florida, shaped by the vibrant cultures of Latin America, the Caribbean Islands, and the region’s rich Native American heritage.
Plaisir (pictured below) said: “My inspiration was to create a peaceful promenade so that when people come from one side to the other, it’s like walking along a quiet river.”
She graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts et Arts Décoratifs in Bordeaux, France. Her works are part of museum collections in Europe and the USA.
Among Plaisir’s awards are the South Florida Cultural Consortium Award in 2018, the Southern Prize in 2020 and the Knight Foundation New Work Award in 2022.
Terminal 1 hosts half the airport’s top ten carriers. The walkway is a high-traffic area and the main access to the terminal from two of the airport’s three parking garages.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport CEO/Director of Aviation Mark Gale commented: “It’s always a great day when we get to unveil a new installation and add to our ever-growing and diverse collection of over 60 public art pieces here at FLL.
“This new terrazzo floor artwork captures the vibrance and happiness we always want our visitors to feel travelling through our airport.” ✈
