NORFOLK, Va. — A new monumental work of art is en route to the Norfolk International Airport area and is scheduled to arrive as early as Thursday.
Norfolk Arts announced it will be presenting a 24-feet tall heron sculpture, 'Navigator' to celebrate the miracle of flight and Norfolk. It will be hauled on two semi-trucks and taken to the southwest corner of Azalea Garden Road and Norview Avenue.
The sculpture includes a 44-foot-long wingspan and was made by Don Kennel and Lisa Adler, from DKLA Design of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“As artists, we love the idea of transport. We hope to transport the viewer outside their daily lives to spark imagination. The idea also relates to material as we transport rigid metals into something dynamic and alive. When we use recycled materials, we further demonstrate the process of transformation by changing what has been discarded into something with a new life of beauty and possibility” said Adler.
City officials said 'Navigator' was built from plane parts that are no longer being used along with pieces of steel and aluminum with glass eyes that have been hand-blown.
The location and art details represent a place that blue herons call home. It will take about two days to construct once it arrives.
“People coming and going at the airport get inside aluminum birds every day. Navigator serves as an open-armed welcome and a good luck farewell to those travelers and everyone coming and going. We are all on a journey somewhere including the herons and wildlife that call Hampton Roads home” says Kennell.
According to city officials, one lane of traffic will be closed on Thursday morning as the trucks will be offloading.
For more information on upcoming projects and city programs, please visit the Norfolk Arts website.
