Ed Carpenter, Mike McCulloch and John Rogers
Dichroic glass, aluminum, computerized lighting
Concourse H, Miami International Airport
Perez & Perez Architects Planners, Inc.

Situated high above the concourse floor adjacent to clerestory windows, Aqua/Botanica is a sculptural glass installation reflecting, transmitting, and modulating natural light.  Florida’s intense sunlight filters through chemically treated “dichroic” glass to create fluid “light paintings” on the undulating ceiling and upper concourse walls. At night, lighting installed beneath the glass structures creates a different but equally dramatic effect. 

Carpenter collaborated with architect Mike McCulloch and artist John Rogers to develop a visual system in which progressions of interval, line, and contour lead travelers through the concourse and unify the space.  Aqua/Botanica is suggestive but ambiguous, abstractly evoking images of fantastic flying machines, exotic botanical species, or dreamy submarine environments.

Ed Carpenter received his education from the University of California at Santa Barbara and Berkeley. He later studied stained glass design and technique with Patrick Reyntiens in England and large architectural glass design with Ludwig Schaffrath in Germany. He has received numerous public and corporate commissions for his glass sculptures. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the American Craft Enterprises, the American Craft Council, the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, and the Hillside Center Artist's Cooperative. From 1985-1989, Carpenter served as the Metropolitan Arts Commissioner for Portland, Oregon where he also founded the Public Art Advisory Committee.

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