Butterflies are often perceived as magical creatures − fleeting, inconceivably light, with beautiful full wings, built for display, as well as a slightly wonky flight that fills you with delight. The Butterflies kinetic artwork references these simple pleasures.
Designed by HASSELL Associate Louise Pearson, the display hangs in the skylights of the new boarding lounge at Brisbane Domestic Airport. It is a series of almost 100, one-metre wide, laser-cut butterflies, exquisitely coloured with brass and bronze patinas, varying in intensity.
The scattering of golden butterfly forms splashes a warm, reflected light. With the help of the sun, each wing's ornate arrangement of perforations casts patterned shadows throughout the boarding lounge.
En masse, the herd − a flight, a flutter − try to beat out the cacophony of the airport's complex programs - of people coming in and out, up and down with their own flights.
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Publications
Scope: The Butterflies by HASSELL at Brisbane Airport, Artichoke, no. 38, March-May 2012, p. 21
