Client: Virgin Atlantic

Overview

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at LAX is a relaxing space overlooking the Hollywood Hills. Putting a distinctly Southern California spin on Virgin Atlantic’s warmth and individuality, the lounge recalls LA’s warm sunsets, flowing surf, laid back lifestyle, mountain backdrops, smooth curves, and sculpted surfaces.
The sinuous Corian and copper Flow Wall cuts diagonally through the lounge as a backdrop for a distinct variety of spaces each furnished to provide varied seating and social possibilities, opposite continuous views. A sculpted membrane ceiling accented with two raised skylights softly floats above the seating areas.

Goals

Unique art pieces commissioned by Virgin Atlantic anchor the two ends of the triangular lounge space. At the apex, Californian based digital media artist Diana Reichenbach created a beautiful immersive media installation
The installation resonates closely with the design of the lounge as it moves through the diurnal rhythm of a single day in a series of iconic California images (California fan palms, the Pacific Ocean, waving crop
Fields) paced with a deliberate and relaxing rhythm. The passage of time meshed with the celebration of natural landscape make this the perfect piece here.
Drawn to her emotive work and to her storytelling through color and movement, Virgin Atlantic commissioned the work uniquely for the LAX Clubhouse.
At the opposite end of the space, a hand drawn wall by British Artist Vic Lee terminates the flow wall with a strong graphic. In this bespoke piece of art, he wanted to create a statement piece that invoked both London’s and LA’s personalities, without being too obvious. The words are poetic statements that are read to evoke an emotion and association with wit and charm and a slight sprinkle of balderdash.

Process

Both artists worked closely with the design team to ensure that the pieces fit with the overall design. The Diana Reichenbach Video installation was meant to provide a focal point at the apex of the triangular space, visible from the entire lounge and terminating this important view. This video also animates the dining area at the end of the space. Because the installation had to work as a termination/backdrop for the long view as well as one side of the dining area, the design team worked closely with the artist to coordinate colors and content with the colors and materials in the space. The colors in the video work in relation to the colors of the entire lounge.

For the Vic Lee, the challenge was to distill London & LA through a series of associations and references. Working closely with the design team and the Virgin Atlantic branding, the content for the mural was carefully selected through a series of iterative steps. The black and white graphic terminates the white sinuous Corian flow wall with a graphic boldness that works as a counterpoint to the sculptural form of the flow wall.

Additional Information

This careful book ending of art in the lounge is a Rich installation in itself. The artists come from LA and London respectively and the juxtaposition at either end of the lounge is a clear reference to the journey that visitors to the lounge are about to embark on. The contrast in styles further underscores and celebrates the diversity and richness of those two cities without being explicit. It is an inviting teaser for travelers to ponder the similarities and differences of the two destinations.