Project Description
In March 2019, main contractor Skanska and global design firm HOK have completed the US$154 million expansion and renovation of Tampa International Airport’s Main Terminal. The project has added 98,000sq ft of new enclosed and useable space. HOK oversaw the campus-wide public art programme with commissioned works and relocation of existing works. Daniel Canogar’s ‘Tendril’ above one of the retail areas features coiled LED screens.
Tendril is a sculptural LED screen that coils around the existing truss system of the Airside F terminal. The shape of the artwork is reminiscent of vines and features animations of native South Florida plants. The videos suggest vigorous reclamation of territory, shifting from fast invasive gestures to tranquil sequences of species settling in their new home. The native plants are invited into the interior of the Airport, thus connecting indoor with outdoor space.
New animations of plant motifs can be added through the years, allowing the Artist to treat the Artwork like a garden, tending to it by planting new content. The content on the screen is not a looping video. Instead, a computer program generates real time content using an algorithm, which is programmed to randomly decide on the life-cycle of the depicted plants: speed of growth, how branches fork, density of foliage, color and shape of leaves, etc. The generative artwork thus imitates the complexity and randomness of nature itself.