It’s in the Air at Art Basel

Most of our experience with airplane banners is usually confined to beaches, sporting events, or other densely populated situations. Fittingly, Morgans Hotel Group has commissioned fifteen of the most seminal figures in text art to fly banners over the beachiest art fair, Art Basel Miami Beach. The project, PLANE TEXT, will include Ed Ruscha, Richard Prince, John Baldessari, Lawrence Weiner, The Estate of Sol LeWitt, Jack Pierson, Kay Rosen, Hank Willis Thomas, Alex Ruppersberg, Gary Simmons, Mel Bochner, Alexis Smith, Jenny Holzer and Martin Creed, all of whom will have banners trailing in four hour increments over a four day period.

Mock-ups for two of the artist’s banners reveal the use of text acting as social commentary (Pierson’s banner will say “WE’RE RICH WE CAN DO WHAT WE WANT”), as well as an expansion of previously established styles. (Ruscha will expand upon his library of flatly descriptive signatures with the phrase “PEOPLE GETTING READY TO DO THINGS”)

The banners will be uniform in font and color: translucent plastic with the angular, sans-serif font used for most traditional plane advertisements.

From Dec. 5-9, each artist’s banner can be viewed over Morgans Hotel Group’s Miami properties (the Delano, Mondrian South Beach, and Shore Club) as well as over heavily trafficked areas such as the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Miami Design District. Pocket-sized schedules will be distributed as a guide at hotel properties and select venues around the city.

Don’t forget to look up!