UK. London Gatwick Airport has unveiled two large-scale sand sculptures designed to welcome passengers and mark the expansion of its route network.
The two-metre tall sculptures – which depict two of the landmarks that can be reached via Gatwick’s long-haul routes, New York’s Chrysler Building and Dubai’s Burj Al Arab – will be installed for two months and will be viewed by around 7.5 million passengers expected to pass through the airport during this period.
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The sculptures mark the launch of new services to New York and Dubai this year |
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London Gatwick Airport now serves over 200 destinations worldwide – said to be more than any other UK airport – with 20% of passengers travelling to business destinations such as New York and Dubai. Gatwick serves over 40 long-haul destinations including the US, Canada, China and Vietnam. In September a new route to Jakarta will be introduced with Garuda Indonesia.
According to findings from Gatwick’s Airport Passenger Panel, an independent body set up to highlight potential improvements to the airport passenger experience, UK airports needed more “˜heart and soul’. As a result, over the last few years Gatwick has invested in building its contemporary art collection.
In 2012, a 12-piece collection by British pop artist Sir Peter Blake was installed across both Gatwick terminals and last year the airport featured “˜The People’s Monarch’, a piece the size of a double decker bus depicting the Queen, made up of 5,500 images of people from South East England.
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425,000 passengers are expected to see the sculptures this weekend | |
London Gatwick Airport Head of Retail Spencer Sheen said: “Gatwick has invested over £1 billion in improving facilities and the airport experience in recent years. This transformation means more people and airlines than ever before are choosing to fly from Gatwick and many new routes are being opened. This latest addition to the airport’s collection of artwork creatively brings to life that Gatwick is now a world-class airport serving over 200 destinations across the globe for both leisure and business travellers.”
Creator of the sculptures Zeus said: “I am delighted that these two urban sculptures will be exhibited at London Gatwick, the inspiration for which was taken from two of the flagship cities Gatwick flies to – New York and Dubai Airports – are symbols of modern metropolises like London, so what better place to display the works where millions of passengers can see them. My aim is to give people passing through Gatwick’s terminals a place to reflect before they travel and when they return home to London.”
