Sky Harbor introduces large robot sculptures to Terminal 4
Jul 25, 2020, 4:00 AM
(Sky Harbor International Airport Photo)
(Sky Harbor International Airport Photo)
PHOENIX — Sky Harbor International Airport received some rather large travelers on Thursday.
The airport received three 10-foot-tall robots as part of a technology based sculptural installation by the “Father of Video Art,” Nam June Paik.
The sculptures embody a mother, father and child robot standing with their arms raised to the ceiling, Sky Harbor said in a press release Thursday.
The robots’ heads, appendages and torsos consist of 63 televisions blitzing with fast-paced video clips of sports highlights, popular culture and desert imagery, the airport said.
Originally titled Electro-Symbio Phonics for Phoenix, the artwork was commissioned for America West Arena (now Talking Stick Resort Arena) in 1992.
The robots stood along the doorways leading to the arena from the food court and were removed during renovations in 2002.
Electro-Symbio Phonics for Phoenix is on display at the Phoenix Airport Museum Gallery located in Terminal 4 on level 3. The artwork can be viewed for free from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. through July 2021.
