MILLIONS of visitors landing at Liverpool John Lennon Airport are being greeted by a huge multimedia art project highlighting the city’s Capital of Culture status.

A total of £1.6m has being spent on creating a positive first impression of the city and region for the extra 1.7m travellers expected this year, funded through the North West Development Agency.

Called the “Air Portal Initiative”, the artwork is designed to take visitors on a virtual journey through Merseyside and the North West.

James Berresford, director of tourism at NWDA, said: “Airports are sometimes very dull and depressing places but at JLA they’ve tried very hard to break this mould.”

Design consultants Broome Jenkins provided the creative supervision with input from Liverpool Culture Company, the Airport company, and the NWDA.

Specialist sub-consultants McFaul, originally a Birkenhead company, and Liverpool-based River Media provided the artwork.

The McFaul team have run 300 metres of artwork along glazed arrival routes throughout the airport.

It all culminates in a full illustrated story of the region’s unique visitor attractions depicted on columns in the baggage reclaim area.

Images used in the mural-style installations are incorporated onto the UK’s largest rear projection installation in the main departure lounge.

This includes four 100in screens designed by River Media which play a continual loop of art, film and logos.

Paul Rogers, of River Media, said: “Similar loops are usually between 30–120 seconds long. This is 30 minutes long with screens playing over 100 GB of high definition ‘Digital Video Art’”

The airport’s seven passenger transfer buses have been wrapped with 08 logos and colour schemes and inside four screens play another movie in one of seven languages chosen to match the origin of the aircraft.

The 08 theme continues with 18 columns in the baggage reclaim area being wrapped and 08 floor graphics placed around each baggage carousel.

All 112 passenger seating tables in the departure lounge are branded with 08 logos, as are carpet tiles.

Neil Pakey, JLA’s managing director, said: “This project complements our Rock and Roll hall of fame. ”

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