According to artist Dale Eldred (1933-1993), the Airport Sun Project is about the nature of physics and the nature of nature; it is a dramatic and vivid illustration of our relationship with the sun and the daily pattern of the earth's rotation.
Dedicated in 1989, the Airport Sun project uses both the airport's unique architectural environment and Eldred's creativity and expertise to control the play of sun and shadow. To create the piece, Eldred installed light interference and transformation panels among the truss system and along the south wall of the ticketing level.
In the late 1970s, Eldred devoted himself to large-scale light sculptures. Art institutions and cities all over the world commissioned his works. Nashville's Airport Sun Project was Eldred's first work in the Southeastern United States and his only airport project. In addition, Eldred was the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim fellowship, a Ford Foundation Grant, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Fellowship, two American Institute of Architects awards and a National Endowment for the Arts award. |
