Public Art at a Baggage Claim at Haneda Airport: Bird of Luggage

Abstract

A baggage claim at an airport is an inorganic space where passengers should wait for a brief while. We want to change this space to more attractive, enjoyable, and organic area. We propose a public artwork: "Bird of Luggage". "Bird of Luggage" was set in the Haneda Airport which is one of the biggest airports in Japan. This artwork was exhibited in the context of an exhibition "Digital Public Art in HANEDA AIRPORT 'AIR HARBOR'-Technology Meets Air: A Sensation of a New World" in Octorber, 2009 at the Haneda Airport. "Bird of Luggage" enables passengers to see birds which could bring their bags. The system of the artwork consists of three parts: 1) a camera which can detect a luggage, 2) a projector on a pan head with motors which chase a luggage on the baggage carousel, and project a bird image on a luggage, 3) a hyper sonic sound speaker with its special feature, which enables you to hear the sound of flutter as if the sound came from the luggage. You can see and hear a bird on your luggage and when you bring your bag from the baggage carousel, the bird will fly away. Some passengers could notice the artwork and enjoyed during their waiting time.