Old Growth

I've spotted this interesting sculpture from the window seat on a couple of aircraft when we're fortunate enough to take off from 36R. Bookmarked to investigate and now that's done.Old Growth is a massive installation - 40 feet by 40 feet by 40 feet - and it is in the parking lot of the Wilson Air Center, the Fixed Base Operation at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. It weighs 25 tons.The caption at its base reads, "'Old Growth' evokes the growth patterns of a living tree; expanding withing a structured manner yet following random paths as it reaches skyward. The texture and warm tone of the steel combined with granite and native plantings along the base serve as a reminder of the City's connection to the natural and environment and contribute to a sense of oasis for travelers. The Art & Science Council, and the Public Art Commission in Partnership with the City of Charlotte. 2016."From the artist's statement online, "'I was after that sensation you get when you're underneath, where it's at once very comforting but also very powerful,' he says of the monumental sculpture. Hoss Haley (b. 1961, Dodge, Kansas) is an American artist residing in the mountains of North Carolina. He learned machining and steel fabrication at an early age and then apprenticed as a blacksmith for several years in Texas and New Mexico."I think that it look more like an airline route map, showing Charlotte at its base with the branches outwards representing the destinations of passengers.[Review 2031 of 2024 - 3743 in North Carolina - 23052 overall]