Transportation—our movement from one location to another—has always had a massive influence on our culture, lifestyle, and architecture. We ride. We fly. We travel. We move. From horses to boats, trains, bikes, cars, skateboards, submarines, airplanes, and spacecrafts, we are a society that is driven by a desire to move. Transportation is part of our culture.
Inside the Jumbo Hostel in Stockholm, Sweden.
In Stockholm’s Jumbo Hostel you can stay the night inside a jumbo jet. What will be tomorrow’s transportation? Teleportation? Will the future bring transportation to our fingertips?
A confluence of entertainment and transportation will likely occur. They will converge into one. They will mesh and coincide. Enter the Manhattan Airport Foundation and its proposed project to build an airport in New York’s Central Park.
3D panorama of the hoax airport plan by parody advocacy organization Manhattan Airport Foundation.
Evidence points to the project being a hoax. But after hearing the concept, thinking about its potential, and reading more about it, I would say they do deliver some interesting points. The environmental argument sounds sound, and the park’s landmarks would be converted to attractions inside the airport. Innovative design and engineering could make a project like this a huge success for New York City. Maybe I’ve seen The Fifth Element too many times, but I’ll tell you that I can even see radically broadening the project’s scope. Artistic attractions and inventive modes of entertainment could be immersed within it. The airport itself could become a cultural center. Local artwork could be featured in the terminals. Digital technology would be everywhere. A live music venue could be built under the airport. Imagine flying into Manhattan to see a concert right in the airport. I expressed that live music is the most entertaining music when I first covered music’s future evolution, and I think an airport music venue is absolutely viable providing it would be open to everyone—not just upper or business classes.
What creative forms of art, culture, and entertainment could you see being built in modern airports? Where else might entertainment blend with transportation? With our basic survival needs met, what do we seek in and beyond entertainment?
