COMPLETION DATE
November 2022
LOCATION
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Terminal D/E Connector Tunnel
2800 N Terminal Rd
Houston, TX 77032
District B
CLIENT
City of Houston
SPONSORING DEPARTMENT
Houston Airport System
PROJECT BUDGET
$331,000.00
The Aquarius Art Tunnel
Janavi Mahimtura Folmsbee
Project Description
Passengers immerse deep into the Texas Gulf Coast through an interactive art experience. The Aquarius Art Tunnel at Bush Intercontinental Airport measures 240 feet long, 24 feet wide, and 10 feet high. The site-specific commission includes a floor-to-ceiling mural, lenticular lenses, filtered lighting, custom carpeting, an original soundtrack, and an augmented reality feature that invites guests to interact with the tunnel on social media. The vibrant visuals transport passengers deep into the Gulf of Mexico, and into The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, which is located about 100 miles off the Texas coast.
The Aquarius Art Tunnel speaks to the universal concept of how water belongs to all of us and is the vision of marine conservation artist Janavi Mahimtura Folmsbee. Her own scuba-diving excursions inspired Folmsbee to create this multi-sensory experience.
Image Credit: All images courtesy of the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs; Photographers: Raul M Casares Jr, Jay Marroquin, and Steve Weinik
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HAA oversaw the artist selection, design, fabrication, and installation process for this artwork. Working diligently with sponsoring city departments, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and the selected artists, HAA created and publicized the opportunity, coordinated the panel process, managed artist communications, and monitored on-site installation. Recommendation reports were submitted at the conclusion of Artist Selection and Design phases, and a robust closeout report was provided upon project completion detailing project summary and ongoing maintenance requirements.
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The Houston Airport System (HAS) is the City of Houston’s Department of Aviation, comprised of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport, and Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport. The System served 54 million passengers in 2022 and nearly 60 million in 2019. HAS positions Houston as the international passenger and cargo gateway to the South-Central United States and as a primary gateway to Latin America. It contributed $36.4 billion to the local economy in 2019 and is responsible for creating 190,000 jobs.
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This project was funded through Houston’s Civic Art Ordinance, which requires 1.75% of the budget for eligible City-funded construction projects to be spent on integrating artwork and artists' ideas in public spaces and conserving the City of Houston’s Civic Art Collection. The Houston Arts Alliance administers the civic art program for the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
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ARTS REPRESENTATIVES
Bianca Alvarez, Public Art Project Manager, Department of Arts & Culture, City of San Antonio, San Antonio
Curt Gettman, Senior Project Manager, City of Austin’s Art in Public Places, Austin
Daisy Nam, Curator, Ballroom Marfa, Marfa
Florencia Bazzano, Curator of Exhibitions, Art Museum of South Texas, Austin
Jamie Robertson, Visual Artist and Educator, Houston
Janice Bond, Deputy Director, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Houston
Jennie Ash, Executive Director, Art League Houston, Houston
Michelle Barnes, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Community Artists’ Collective, Houston
Miriam Garcia, Public Art Program Supervisor, Museums and Cultural Affairs Department, San Antonio
Rabea Ballin, Artist, Houston
SPONSORING DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVES
Alton DuLaney, Curator and Director of the Public Art Program, Houston Airports
Guillermo Cabrera, Chief Architect, Houston Airports
Dawn Hoffman, Assistant Director For Terminal Management, Houston Airports
Foti Kallergis, Director of Communications & Public Relations, Houston Airports
Maricela Kruseman, Founder and Director, Harmony In The Air
Artist Bio
Janavi Mahimtura Folmsbee wants to live in a world where everyone can experience the beauty of our oceans. She was born and raised in Mumbai, India in a home overlooking the Indian Ocean. She is a 2009 graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (S.A.I.C). She currently lives and works in Houston. Folmsbee has shown her work in Mumbai, Beijing, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Dubai, and the United States.
Her works have been featured in international fairs, including Kunst Rai, Art Rotterdam, The Indian Contemporary Art Fair, Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Arte Dubai; in print media, including Harper’s Bazaar (Malaysia edition), The Times of India, the Houston Chronicle, Houston Modern Luxury, and Verve (India); and in television interviews on ABC News and KRPC Houston. Folmsbee has created large fine art murals throughout Houston, which can be found on Google Earth. Her public works also include an important commission from the Red Cross Society in Mumbai, India.