Time Interwoven is a site specific installation commissioned by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. San Diego artist, Christie Beniston, created a custom glass and light installation as a welcome piece to Authority visitors and users of the commuter terminal. The work is located on the first floor elevator lobby.

The piece graphically demonstrates the choreography of human patterns as the warp and weft of travelers and employees move to and from destinations. In the broader scope of the entire airport, this weave of people provides a visual metaphor for the act of travel. While this graphic pattern may engage the viewer on a primordial level, the artwork is designed to be sleek and contemporary in its fabrication.

Travel is defined by time as well as distance. The horizontal threads of the weft can be read as the lines of latitude on a map, with the warp constituting the standard meridians of longitude. In the artwork, the vertical sections of color represent the 24 world time zones. Each zone is set on a 24-hour timer, and in the same way that a weaver moves the strand across the loom, light will travel continuously on the hour from one band to the next.

Upon viewing the artwork, one notes a field of continuous pattern except for a single interruption of light intensity. Traditionally, when weaving textiles, Native Americans would leave a flaw in the pattern to let the “soul” or spirit escape. In this design, the mark is positioned where San Diego would be located on the world map and represents the same “spirit” released by the inventiveness and ingenuity of San Diego's early aviation pioneers including Charles Lindbergh.The color panel containing San Diego is lit at the start of the work day (assuming that is 8am) a time for the most flow of traffic to the administrative offices. In addition to San Diego, names of other major cities are engraved along the bottom edge of the frame. Each, coordinating the longitudinal movement of light, indicating the start of the work day in other countries; thus providing additional interest and meaning to the artwork.

The artwork is composed of a grid of molded resin, finished in a 2-part epoxy with a clear gloss sealant. The glass background color is custom laminated glass housed in an aluminum frame. Behind each vertical band of color are two LED strips, the first row providing a continuous low illumination with the second row controlled by a timer allowing individual bands to have higher illumination each hour. This provides the effect of movement on the hour with the bands of color representing the 24 time zones. Finished size 8' x 6” x 15'

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