Acrylicize were commissioned by Dublin Airport to create an art installation for the new 51st & Green Lounge. The incredible installation is made up of over 600 folded mirrored aeroplanes each finding its own place within the overall form, creating an energetic and playful installation.
The 51st & Green Lounge situated in terminal 2 is unique in that it is under US jurisdiction yet is still on Irish soil, meaning when you step off the plane in America you can leave the airport and avoid border control. The name comes from 51st and Green being an intersection between two nations with a long shared history. Acrylicize were commissioned to create a sculpture which articulated the idea of connecting two places that are genetically and historically linked. The closest lounge in the world to an active runaway, the installation also needed to re ect upon the joy and beauty of ight.
The initial concept was inspired by bird migration, focusing on the way that birds create paths between places and retrace them each year, mimicking the migration of returning passengers through the lounge. The form of the installation was directly in uenced by these incredible bird murmurations echoing the playful way in which swarms of birds y and dance with each other in the air.
This concept was built upon by incorporating the idea of a classic paper aeroplanes in the formation of a murmaration suspended in motion. The ‘paper’ aeroplanes are made of metal, with the re ective nature of the polished surface catching little windows and moments of the outside bouncing miniature views of the planes taking off throughout the lounge. A copper touch was added to the underside, picking up on the subtle details from around the space in the ooring and furnishings, the duality of colour and texture suggesting the idea of two elements coming together in harmony; in this case representing Ireland and America.