No more fidgeting or flipping through magazines. Waiting at the airport just got fun.
Welcome to Seattle-Tacoma International … art gallery.
The airport has 65 pieces of art on display and each one has a story. A new app, STQRY, tells about every painting, mural and sculpture in the terminal, security, concourses, baggage claim and beyond.
Flying fish. Sideways cows. Talking water fountains.
Who knew?
“The app makes the airport’s art program virtually come alive as there is so much to discover and learn about our award winning art collection,” Colleen McPoland, Sea-Tac art program manager said in a press release. “This way the traveler can find answers to their questions on their own.”
The free app has detailed descriptions, artist bios, fun facts and videos. Follow the interactive map for turn-by-turn directions.
Look up. Look down. Look around. Listen. Take a sip from the fountain and get an earful of sounds.
Art is everywhere.
Ever wonder about all those things dangling from the ceiling in Concourse A?
It’s “clouds and clunkers” by Peter Shelton. The fiberglass “clouds” are suspended from the ceiling and the cast iron “clunkers” are on the metal platform below.
It was Shelton’s intent to create a sculptural setting to quiet the current of the bustling concourse.
Feel relaxed?
Well, hurry up, there’s so much more to see.
Head to Gate A-14 to stand in awe of the massive mosaic “I Was Dreaming of Spirit Animals” by Cappy Thompson.
The stained-glass composition was inspired by a series of dreams the artist had. The app explains: “The radiant, jewel-toned hues heighten the tranquil surrealism of the characters, suggesting to the viewer that they are simply stargazing into the skies of the Pacific Northwest.”
Concourse D has the 180-foot-long mural “High Wire” by Michael Fajans. The piece sequentially depicts a vaudeville magic act that will trick your mind, with figures appearing and disappearing.
Seriously, you might want to miss your plane.
There’s no end to this STQRY.
At the rental car garage, a reflective veil mesh shrouds the parking lot for an LED light show. Along the fence from the off-site rental car facility are 91 wheels rendered in brilliant, jewel-like automobile paint.
The 188th Street Tunnel at the south end of the airport has 72-foot-long laser-cut ferns with fiery amber LED lights, created as an illuminated homage to the aeronautical industry.
Wait, there’s more. This is the app that keeps giving. It has stories about attractions such as the Seattle Art Museum and the EMP Museum.
Heading to California? The Walt Disney Family Museum has 50 stories on STQRY.
Going Down Under? The Wellington Zoo is on STQRY.
In addition to interpretation of artwork, the sites also have admission prices, hours and events.
Not going anywhere?
No problem. Use it during a staycation to explore the world from your hammock.
For more, go to www.stqry.com.
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
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