Into the Woods - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

It’s easy to forget you’re in a tunnel when passing between terminals A and B at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The underground corridor looks and sounds like a stylized version of a real Georgia forest.

Flight Paths, a 450-foot-long art installation by Steven Waldeck, combines a light-infused tree canopy with the sounds of chirping birds, simulated rain showers and sporadic lightning flashes. The tree canopy is made of laser-cut aluminum leaves that are illuminated by 24,000 LED lights for a sun-dappled effect, and video projections make it appear as if clouds and birds are moving overhead. The ambient soundtrack features 31 species of native birds.

Waldeck spent 13 years curating and fusing light, sound and imagery for his hallmark installation.  

The multi-sensory environment he created is so striking that passengers en route to their gates slow down or stop to take it all in. Guests riding the automated people mover often shoot video of the entire immersive experience on their cellphones. And airport employees use the serene area as a get-away lunch spot.

“It’s not unlike an actual walk through the woods, where things are similar, but never exactly the same,” says Marc Shellist, who managed the installation for SVI Themed Construction Solutions. “It’s a modern, impressionistic forest.”

To view a short video of the artwork, visit https://vimeo.com/210511243.