Above is a close-up of a Los Angeles International Airport tile wall. It was designed in 1961 to enhance a particularly long walkway at the airport’s arrivals area. Janet Bennett designed the 300 ft. long mural while working for the architectural firm Pereira and Luckman. The mural depicted the changing seasons experienced while travelling across the United States. The blues at either end represented the oceans, greens for the mountains, browns and greys for the plains and sand colours for the desert. During the walk, several red bands emerge, indicating the middle of the long art installation.
Bennett recalls, “To a young artist/designer, the days…were a wonderful and creative time. I seemed to have all the time and freedom in the world to design major art features for the new airport. Looking back on it now, it seems like play.
The airport’s rhythmic promenade has appeared in numerous television shows and movies, including Rockford Files, Mad Men, Point Blank, The Graduate and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Image: Mad Men
Image: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood