Pittsburgh Magazine - March 2016 - Pittsburgh, PA: Ever since the Pittsburgh International Airport unveiled Clayton Merrell’s 69,000-square-foot work of public art last fall, travelers at the airport have been able to walk across the sky before they take off into it. When the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council’s Office of Public Art reached out to Merrell for a proposal to rejuvenate the region’s primary airport, Merrell says he knew the airport’s dull, grey tiles presented the perfect opportunity.
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Living as far away as Seattle, I have spent more than a fair amount of time in the Pittsburgh International Airport. This airport is a little bit special, in that it manages to feel small while actually being large enough that I am still discovering new pieces every time I fly through. Or maybe it's that it's been under construction (putting in said new floor) for the last two years.
I'm thrilled that the Pittsburgh airport is trying to incorporate more artwork into their layout: an airport is an excellent art gallery if organized well. Unfortunately, much of his design is only visible from far away due to the scale of the piece: I've flown in and out of the airport 4 times since they finished it, and I didn't know it was a sky until I just read this article. I thought it was a strange collection of shapes put into the floor, obviously intentional, but the intention is unavailable to the pedestrian walking on his floor. Maybe it would have been more successful if it was more detailed, or contained a more obvious image in a smaller space. Though interesting, I don't think his design incorporates the preexisting structure of the space and flow of traffic well.
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