Client: San Francisco International Airport

Overview

This monumental wall piece measures 55 feet long and 9.5 feet high and is located between terminals 1 and 2 at the San Francisco International airport. The fifteen laminated glass panels layer varying surface treatments such as sandblasting, line etching, color filling, hand-painting with transparent ceramic glass melting colors, graphite drawings by hand and lacquer paint and combine images evocative of geography and travel.

Goals

“Voyage” was commissioned by the City and County of San Francisco and the Airport Commission for the San Francisco International Airport.

The artist employed site-specific imagery and ideas, paying close attention to maps, plans, weather patterns, and flight routes. The history of the airport,
with it’s international population, interdependence on weather and connection to different continents and land mass formations all inform the rich iconography in this panoramic work.

The SFAC believes art should be a part of daily life and looks to artists to enrich traveler experience by revitalizing the urban environment and representing ideas that reflect the city’s values and it’s diverse community and vibrant culture.

Process

Britton worked side by side with artisans in our Munich studios, drawing areas by hand and overseeing the painted aspects of the work. She shared with us that “the collaboration with the artisans was educational and inspiring.” They worked together to translate Britton’s mixed media collage study into a glass piece, combining a multitude of techniques in a layered manner that was analogous to the artist’s collage process. It was important to Britton to retain the authenticity and handmade feel of the work, and the artisans’ skill and attention to detail ensured that the final piece retained this handcrafted element.