LAX SELECTS ARTISTS FOR VIDEO ART INSTALLATIONS AT FUTURE AUTOMATED PEOPLE MOVER STATIONS

The top image is a rendering of video art, by artist Diana Thater, that would be displayed at a future LAX Automated People Mover (APM) station. (Image courtesy of Diana Thater, Proposal for LAX, 2022).
The bottom image is a rendering of video art from Garrett Bradley Studio that would be installed at an APM station. (Image courtesy of Garrett Bradley Studio).

(Los Angeles) Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is proud to announce seven video artists commissioned for the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Automated People Mover (APM) electric train system. The selected artists will each create short-form video artworks that will enhance the travel experience for the tens of millions of guests who will use the APM each year.

Artists Garrett Bradley, Alfredo Jaar, Kirsten Johnson, Alex Prager, Diana Thater, Clarissa Tossin and Billy Woodberry will have their works presented on large-scale digital screens located at three of the six APM stations. These video artworks are meant to provide first encounters with contemporary art as travelers enter Los Angeles and offer final artistic impressions as guests depart.

“LAX is building world-class facilities that will transform the passenger experience with innovative public art experiences that reflect the identity and diversity of our city, and advance Los Angeles’ reputation as the culture capital of the world,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. “These video artworks will create a stunning visual environment for the 30 million passengers per year expected to utilize the APM system.”

The artists were selected by an art committee LAWA convened as part of its Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP), a $5.5-billion ground transportation network designed to improve traffic conditions in and around LAX. The LAMP Art Committee included influential Los Angeles arts leaders, including Michael Govan of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Joanne Heyler of The Broad, and Ravi Rajan of the California Institute of the Arts, as well as representatives from the Office of the Mayor, LAWA, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

The APM train system will run on a 2.25-mile elevated guideway with six stations, three of which are located inside the Central Terminal Area (CTA) and three outside. The video artworks will premiere at the stations located at the Consolidated Rent-a-Car Facility (ConRAC), the Intermodal Transportation Facility-East (ITF-East), and the West Central Terminal Area Station. The ConRAC and ITF-East stations are outside of the CTA and will serve passengers renting cars and passengers connecting from the Airport Metro Connector and ground transportation lines. The West Central Terminal Area Station is located within the CTA and will serve passengers arriving and departing from the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The APM broke ground in March 2019 and is scheduled to open for passenger service in 2024.

The video artworks are funded by LAWA through the City of Los Angeles’ Public Percent for Art Program, which is administered by the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. This program dedicates one percent of the construction cost of the City’s capital improvement projects to contribute to enduring, contemporary art experiences at the City’s public facilities.