Flights

Inside a stairway, within a parking garage, surrounded by an airport, movement is everywhere. Zooming further out, the context expands and we see Kansas City, a cultural hotbed and fountain of musical innovation.   

Flights celebrates the improvisational character of Kansas City jazz and the aerodynamic forms that enable aviation. Featuring a variety of widths and palettes, the project’s streamlined fins evoke the qualities of feathers and airfoils. Running parallel to the trajectory of the switchback stairways, the fins weave together into a syncopated rhythm, punctuated by unique apertures and moments of contrast that invite exploration and discovery. Beyond the nuanced moments and details that one encounters directly while passing through the stairway, Flights’ broad and generous scale creates a dramatic visual impact when observed from a distance, particularly when illuminated at night.

Just as melodies are made of multiple notes, and communities are defined by people who live there, Flights is a collection of individual parts that gains meaning and strength when joined together to create a greater whole.

Flights was completed in 2022 with the support of the City of Kansas City and is located at the New Terminal at Kansas City International Airport.