Client: BNA - Nashville International Airport

Overview

Jacob Hashimoto
The Unscalable Rampart of Time, 2022
Resin, bamboo, UV prints, screenprints, fiberglass rod, and stainless steel
81’ x 60’ x 54’
Produced and installed by Superabundant Atmospheres

Composed of 9,000 washi paper and bamboo kites, The Unscalable Rampart of Time is Jacob
Hashimoto’s largest and most ambitious permanent sculpture to date. The form undulates
around the oculus and lunges down into the atrium below, cascading past the escalator and
mezzanine. As a whole, the composition evokes the regional landscape’s hills and waterways
below and Nashville’s open skies above. The kites contain references to local iconography,
architecture, and natural elements, including The Ryman Theater, The Korean Veterans
Memorial Bridge, Cumberland Park, dogwoods, milkweed, and irises. With such visible
placement in the terminal, passengers can experience the piece at a variety of speeds and
scales: driving up to drop a loved one off at Departures, or waiting with a coffee beneath the
gently swaying kites.

Photography: Jordan Powers

Goals

Our process always begins with dialogue. How does the client want to represent themselves and their region? How does the presence of the art affect the use of the space?

In the case of BNA, we decided with the client to incorporate a broad catalog of imagery that rooted the piece in the region: architectural iconography, cultural institutions, as well as grasses, flowers, and trees native to the area. At the same time, we worked with them to achieve a form that occupies the generous verticality of the space, adding an aspirational quality to the entrance and exit sequence for travelers.