In mid-October, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) unveiled the crowning element of its Concourse G expansion: an ethereal wire mesh sculpture that dangles above the central rotunda.
The Dreams We Carry, by internationally renowned artist Kipp Kobayashi, is a floating galaxy of more than 300 hand-formed items encased in various forms of see-through luggage—a format that inherently encourages viewers to stop and see what they can spot. The objects range from beloved musical instruments and everyday sports equipment to sentimental treasures like toys and a grandmother’s jar of buttons. They look like ordinary items, but each has special significance to one of the many MSP travelers and Twin Cities residents that the Los Angeles-based artist talked with while visiting the area as part of his creative process.
“Our cherished possessions reveal profound aspects of our identity, symbols of experiences, relationships and significant moments in our lives,” says Kobayashi. “They serve as reminders of the places we’ve explored, the people we’ve encountered and the indelible memories we hold dear.”
The rotunda where the collection hangs was specifically designed to anchor a significant work of art like Kobayashi’s. Located near gates G18 to G22, his sculpture is visible from the ground floor and also through large windows of the new Delta Sky Club on Level Two. Sunlight that streams through the long swath of exterior windows next to the lounge refracts on the sculpted stainless-steel mesh, just as Kobayashi envisioned during the early stages of his design process.
Ben Owen, director of the Arts@MSP Program, is more than pleased with how the new sculpture transforms the rotunda into a place of imagination and reflection. “Surrounded by the hustle of air travel, The Dreams We Carry inspires moments of tranquility—poignant reminders that every piece of luggage holds a story, a dream, a fragment of someone’s identity, intricately weaving together and reflecting the vibrant fabric of our community,” says Owen. “Travelers and visitors can pause and consider the many stories that converge at MSP.”
