
Here's what to expect in revamped Changi Airport
Changi Airport welcomes passengers at newly improved Check-in Hall with world's largest kinetic art sculpture.
According to press release, a highlight of the revamped Departure Check-in Hall is the addition of the world’s largest kinetic art sculpture.
Known as Kinetic Rain, this sculpture is made up of a total of 1,216 bronze droplets, moving in synchrony to a specially choreographed dance every day.
The official video can be found at www.youtube.com/fansofchangi.
Upgrading works for Changi’s oldest terminal have been completed and a completion ceremony will take place on 18 July 2012.
Here's more from Changi Airport Group:
Measuring 9.8 metres by 4 metres, each sculpture can form 16 different shapes ranging from abstract art forms to recognisable patterns including an aeroplane, a hot air balloon, a kite and even a dragon.
The design element in each shape shows the movement of flight through slow, fluid movements.
Each droplet weighs 180 grams and is made of lightweight aluminum with a hollow centre.
The droplets are specially coated with polished copper to prevent the surface from oxidisation or rust. Depending on the shape of the art form, the droplets travel a maximum distance of 7.3 metres from the ceiling to the lowest point of the pattern.
Designers of the Kinetic Rain created 3-dimensional models and animated them by hand. After the suite of patterns are formalised, they are fed into a computer programme which controls the motors manoeuvring the droplets.
Each droplet is connected to a motor which is housed in the ceiling of the Departure Hall. The motors contain a high precision rotary encoder which keeps track of the exact position of the droplet.
The Kinetic Rain sculpture was created over a span of 20 months. From the onset of the project, artists, programmers and technologists came together to analyse the space available and came out with a solution to develop an artwork that enhances the identity of Changi’s new Terminal 1.