"DREAM BEYOND THE CLOUDS"- St. Louis Lambert International Airport, USA

in collaboration with Martin Donlin

Client: St. Louis Lambert International Airport Authority
Architect: Minoru Yamasaki
Photo credits: Richard Sprengeler

Technique: Hand painted ceramic enamel with CNC glass engraving and polishing in Stainless Steel frame. Size: 4.4 metres wide X 2.2 metres high (14 X 7 feet).

DESCRIPTION: To celebrate their centenary the airport have commissioned a commemorative screen to celebrate the legacy of Major Albert Bond Lambert the airport founder and the role of St. Louis Airport in aviation history. Lambert used to organise hot air balloon races on the airfield and he learned how to fly with the Wright Brothers. The organic shaped Terminal was designed in 1955 by Minoru Yamasaki who also designed the Twin Towers in New York.

Images of Lambert are overlaid with historic maps of St. Louis. These scenes could be viewed by the naked eye of Lambert as he flew above the ground, the images then move onto a globe and world map. Finally into the future as represented by the planets and stars. The stars are represented by Lamberts astrological sign Sagittarius – (One of the planets is actually a Golf Ball as a reference to Lambert being an Olympic Golfer)

Further references are a vintage map of trade winds that are layered with navigators instruments the sextant, clock and compass. The Atom is symbolic of the vision of Lambert to look to physics, science and technology as the future and to aid man’s exploration of the sky.

The poet TS Eliot was born in the same neighbourhood as Lamber in St Louis and I have included a poem from his meditations “Four Quartets” – “We shall not cease from exploration” There is no evidence that Elliot and Lambert ever met, but I like to think they did.