540-meter Photographic Artwork Depicts Destinations from Around the Globe – Fraport Executive Board Member Anke Giesen: “Fraport Now Has an Artistic Connection to the World.”
São Paulo, Rome, Las Vegas: Titled ‘Destinations’, Martin Liebscher’s new spectacular photographic installation at Frankfurt Airport’s Terminal 1 is composed of panoramic images from over 40 destinations around the globe – with each photograph depicting the scenery of a different city. Officially unveiled today, this stunning artwork can now be experienced by transfer travelers at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), as they pass through the 270-meter passenger tunnel that links the transit areas of Piers A and B. The sequencing of panoramas into two seamless and seemingly endless frieze-like banners creates a cinematic experience in the eyes of the observer, as travelers glide pass by the images on the moving walkways in the tunnel. About 12,000 people use the tunnel for transferring between the security-controlled Schengen departure areas of A and B.
The motifs employed by Liebscher are by no means ordinary or conventional photographs. Rather, he uses slightly ‘distorted’ images that appear to capture movement. Liebscher developed this imaging technique, with each motif created by exposing analog film. He accomplished this by manually pulling the film through a specially-modified camera with the aperture open. This technique results in the images being stretched and compressed, and the perception and atmosphere of the urban scenery being compounded. The impressions are further amplified by the passengers’ own motion when traveling along the walkways in the tunnel.
Speaking at the unveiling of the “Destinations” installation, Fraport executive board member Anke Giesen said: “We’re highly pleased to have won over Martin Liebscher for this unique project and are absolutely thrilled by his creation. It is very fitting that the Frankfurt Airport global hub is now linked artistically through images to the rest of the world. We hope that our passengers will be entertained by this photographic installation and that it even stimulates discussions among travelers. Art should always be a moving experience in the eye of the beholder and this installation certainly achieves a moving experience in many ways.”
Information about the artist
The artist Martin Liebscher (born in 1964) is renowned for his large format photography and sculptures. Since 2007, he has held the chair as Professor of Photography at the Offenbach University of Art and Design near Frankfurt, Germany. He aroused great attention in 1998 with his work titled “The World’s Longest Group Photo with One Person” – which even made it into the Guinness Book of Records.
Besides his education at Frankfurt’s famous Städelschule art academy, Liebscher’s relationship with the city is above all an artistic one. “Frankfurt has a connection to art unlike any other city. In particular, photographic art is ever-present in many institutions and collections across the city,” expresses Liebscher. The photographic virtuoso is also impressed by Frankfurt Airport’s use of art: “It’s fantastic! What better way to pass the time on your way to the boarding gate than by experiencing art.”
