Tulsa International Airport [TUL] announced that Shane Darwent will create a one-of-a-kind suspended art installation for the terminal, which is expected to be completed by summer 2024. With a total cost of $225,000, this public art project will be the largest investment the airport has funded for its collection.
The new piece titled “Sunrising”, will hang over the entrance to the TSA checkpoint and will feature a series of 40 suspended colored-resin panels which shift through the color gradation of a sky from sunrise to sunset. Each panel will be individually mounted to a motor hidden in the ceiling above, and the entire installation will slowly rotate, creating a wavelike movement from side to side across a 140’ span. The slow movement of colored panels hovering above will serve as a point of reflection for passengers and the trips they just made, or the journeys they are about to embark on.
Shane Darwent, a Tulsa-based artist, moved to the area in 2018 after being selected to join the Tulsa Artist Fellowship and has since made significant contributions to the city’s public art collection and economy. Over the past two years, Darwent has managed both public and private commissions with a combined budget of nearly $900,000. Darwent was the creative lead and project manager for the outdoor public artwork at USA BMX Headquarters in Greenwood, and recently completed an extensive international collaboration with the Paris-based fashion house Saint Laurent. With every project he creates, whether it’s for a local or international client, he is mindful of using local vendors for fabrication and other project expenses. “Sunrising” will also be fabricated in Tulsa with high recycled content materials, which gives the installation the added bonus of having a low carbon footprint.