San Diego County

San Diego International Airport Unveils Solar-Powered Art Display

San Diego International Airport officials and Ueberall International artist team unveiled a new public art installation Wednesday.

The art project is called DAZZLE, and it's a solar powered, 1,600-foot piece of art featuring 2,100 e-paper panels individually controlled by a computer, creating complex designs and animations.

San Diegans can find the artwork on the side of the airport's new rental car center.

“It represents a living, breathing demonstration of what could become a radical transformation of building a radical transformation of building façades around the world,” said Ueberall International’s artist Nik Hafermass in a statement. “[The animations] evoke everything from water ripples to moving traffic to dancing snowflakes.”

The artwork was inspired by a military technique used during WII called razzle dazzle camouflage, according to SAN communication specialist Rebecca Bloomfield.

Sunlight powers the piece. Each panel has its own solar cell which requires low-power because E Ink technology enables the display to consume as much energy as a PC computer. The artworks located on the northwest side of the Rental Car Center.

The airport’s Public Art Program develops permanent artwork that supports and enhances the mission of the Airport Authority.

"There is nothing like this in terms of scale and artistic use of this sustainable technology in art anywhere in the world," said San Diego County Regional Airport Authority President/CEO Kimberly J. Becker in a statement. "We've taken a functional building and turned it into a vibrant artwork. This is a remarkable addition to the Airport Arts Program designed to enhance everyone's experience of our airport through exciting and innovative encounters with culture."

Airport authorities commissioned the installation through a competitive process in 2015 specifically for the Rental Care Center Site.

DAZZLE cost $875,000 from the Rental Car Center construction budget of $316 million. SAN’s public art program is funded by a 2 percent allocation of eligible construction cost, according to Bloomfield.

Contact Us