Bahrain International Airport

2008 | 2012

Michael Kirchmann of Global Design Strategies has collaborated with New York based artist Leo Villareal to design a series of celestial light art installations at the Arrivals and Departures levels that will transform the current Bahrain International Airport Terminal into a state-of-the-art engineering and cultural icon for the Kingdom of Bahrain. Two figurative bodies of water representing the fresh and salt-water derived from the name ‘Bahrain’, will illuminate the first point of entry and the last moments of exit from this Gulf Nation.

Bahrain’s legacy of thoughtful planning and sensitive cultural narrative will be brought to bear in this modern abstract of technological and iconoclastic design. Over 250,000 LED nodes (light emitting diodes) will be dispersed over the 300ft long departure canopy and the arrivals light pool reflecting a dynamic dialogue between the two art pieces. The LED nodes will be set into a polished stainless steel form that will further enhance the light qualities of the spaces during the day and night sequences.

Inside the departure hall, a further 10’ x 15’ piece by Leo Villareal called the Diamond Sea will round out the transition between the interior and exterior spaces. All three installed light art pieces will be controlled centrally from a laptop and the Bahrain Airports Company will have the opportunity to allow the creative team to modify the abstract streaming video to reflect changes in the moment.

The installations will be built with the flexibility to expand as the Bahrain International Airport develops in the coming years. Designed in collaboration with Futurebrand New York, Walter Smith of the BakerIE and Leo Villareal.