ARTIST’S HAND “DRAWINGS” AND INTRICATE PATTERNS IN TERMINAL 2 INSPIRED BY ARCHITECTURE AT LAX

(Los Angeles, California – October 22, 2009)  Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs,announces a solo art installation by Los Angeles-based artist Tim Nolan at Los AngelesInternationalAirport (LAX). The art installation consists of three separate installations by this insightful artist and Los Angeles 2008 COLA Fellow, inviting viewers to enjoy new perspectives inspired by his hand-drawn and paneled art installations that play off the architecture of the terminal atrium.  

The art installations are located in Terminal 2 on the Upper/Departures Level main atrium and are on view to ticketed passengers, with portions viewable by the general public.  The installation is on display through March 2010.

The installation entitled Hitch consists of two separate wall installations, located in both the upper and lower atrium levels.  These installations were both created using black, blue and silver tape to ‘draw’ directly onto the wall.  Straight lines link up to suggest complex, multi-faceted forms, or intersections of disjointed pathways, depending how the light hits the reflective surfaces.  The artwork was made on-site, so the overall composition was determined by the architectural elements and proportions of the terminal atrium area.  Nolan addresses visual phenomena such as the shifting perception of two and three dimensions, while honoring hand-crafted mark-making as distinct from the perfection of machine or computer-generated designs.

            Located high on the East Wall at Terminal 2 is the complementary exhibit titled Scale.  This artwork is comprised of an alternating set of geometric designs fabricated in different color schemes.  The resulting twenty distinct aluminum panels are placed side by side in a linear arc.  This play on a repeating pattern is organized differently with each viewer’s perception, creating a form evocative of a ridge, a spine, or intricately folded paper that dangles from, or ascends toward, the sky.

            The purpose of the Airport Arts Exhibition Program at LAX and LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT), is to educate and entertain the traveling public, while emphasizing a cultural experience highlighting what makes Los Angeles memorable and interesting.  Exhibits may be historic, popular, artistic, or graphic design in nature and may arise from museums, fine art, archives, environment, or other fields. Exhibitions can be found on display in Terminals 1, 2, 3 and Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX, and Terminals 2 and 4 at LA/Ontario.