‘Lyrical Journeys’ Interactive Light Sculpture Chosen as Public Art Work for Nashville International Airport’s New Concourse D

NASHVILLE – Nashville International Airport’s (BNA) Board of Commissioners recently approved a dynamic public art work to suspend from the ceiling of the airport’s new Concourse D when it opens in summer 2020. The installation, titled “Lyrical Journeys,” will be a permanent addition to BNA’s public art collection to be enjoyed by the airport’s more than 17 million passengers annually.

“Lyrical Journeys” was designed by RE:site Studio’s Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee (Houston, Texas) as a playful homage to the sights and sounds of Nashville. The interactive light sculpture will be suspended over the food and retail hub of BNA’s new Concourse D, adding aesthetic beauty with cascading rhythms of meandering light.

“BNA has a longstanding tradition of investing in impactful public art, and we are proud to add ‘Lyrical Journeys’ to our collection for all of our passengers to enjoy,” said Doug Kreulen, BNA president and CEO. “We congratulate the artists, Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee, on being selected for this public art project, and we look forward to unveiling this dramatic sculpture when Concourse D opens next summer.”

Measuring 90 feet long and 17.5 feet wide, “Lyrical Journeys” will be constructed with 14 pairs of steel bridge plates and 20 linear strings of LED light, which will create an interactive experience for travelers. The LED light strands will brighten and darken in rapid succession as passengers walk beneath, creating the impression that they’re strumming the light strands as they would an instrument. Click here to view a simulation.

“As artists, we draw on a site’s cultural landscape to generate strong narrative concepts that resonate with local meanings, but also transform and transcend the familiar,” said artists Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee. “Our work is about making connections between themes and ideas that are not typically seen as related, but in fact have deep interconnected resonances that converge in a site-specific context. Our proposal for Nashville International Airport’s Concourse D, ‘Lyrical Journeys,’ completely embodies this approach.”

“Lyrical Journeys” was recommended to the BNA Board of Commissioners by a six-member Arts at the Airport Foundation Board selection committee. Of nearly 70 submissions received from public artists around the nation, “Lyrical Journeys” best reflected the committee’s sculpture criteria – namely, being impactful, iconic and memorable with inspiration taken from Nashville, the Middle Tennessee region, aviation and BNA.

Allbritton and Lee have created a variety of large-scale public art pieces, including projects for Dallas Love Field Airport, El Paso International Airport and William P. Hobby Airport.

The new Concourse D, where “Lyrical Journeys” will be installed, is a major component of BNA Vision, the dynamic growth and expansion plan for Nashville International Airport. In addition to Concourse D, BNA Vision will include additional parking garages, terminal wings, expanded central terminal and security checkpoint, a state-of-the-art International Arrivals Facility, an airport administration building, hotel and potential transit connection. Take a virtual 360-degree tour, view renderings and watch the BNA Vision video at BNAvision.com.

BNA’s Arts at the Airport, a 501(c)(3) organization, showcases visual and performing arts at Nashville International Airport for the enjoyment and enrichment of passengers and visitors. For more information about Arts at the Airport, visit www.flynashville.com.

With nearly 18.3 million passengers visiting each year, Nashville International Airport (BNA) is one of the fastest growing airports in North America. BNA serves approximately 540 daily commercial flights to 75 nonstop destinations. According to a recent study, in 2018 alone, BNA generated more than $7.1 billion in total economic impact, supported more than 67,000 jobs in the region, and produced more than $392 million in state, local and federal taxes. BNA receives no local tax dollars. For more information, visit flynashville.com. Follow us on Facebook: @NashvilleInternationalAirport, Twitter: @Fly_Nashville and Instagram: @FlyNashville. Learn more about BNA Vision, our growth and expansion plan for the airport, at BNAVision.com.