Project Overview
In March 2024, Indie Walls commissioned me to create artwork for the new AC Marriott at National Landing, just outside Washington, D.C. With more than 300 guest rooms to outfit, the vision was to design a piece that would connect the hotel to its neighborhood and to nearby Reagan International Airport — reflecting the rhythms of flight in a way that felt both modern and meaningful.
The Challenge
This was a project defined by constraints. Each work needed to be 24 inches in diameter, produced within a tight budget, and completed on a compressed schedule. Glare was a concern in the hotel rooms, which meant finishes needed to diffuse light rather than reflect harshly. And beyond the technical, the challenge was conceptual: how to translate the complexity of air traffic into a form that guests would find beautiful, calming, and resonant.
The Process
The design began with maps of actual flight paths in and out of Reagan International. To translate these lines into tactile form, we built each piece with wood backers and two different sizes of silver rope. Every rope was hand-laid according to a labeled map — a process that required patience, precision, and repetition.
The method was meticulous: rope was first mapped backwards onto sticky paper, then adhered to the board, flipped, and finished with a resin coat to unify the surface. This sequence was repeated more than 350 times to complete the full commission. With the scale of production, I assembled a team of ten makers to help execute the vision, ensuring consistency while preserving the hand-placed quality of each element.
The Final Work
The finished series, Flight Paths, consists of over 300 individual works, each 24 inches in diameter. Muted greys and silvers echo the atmosphere of sky and metal, while the rope lines arc and intersect in patterns that mirror the elegant choreography of air traffic. The works are installed in every guest room of the AC Marriott, creating a quiet, site-specific connection to the airport just beyond the windows.
The Impact
Flight Paths fits seamlessly into the hotel’s modern redesign, offering guests more than decoration: a subtle reminder of movement, travel, and arrival. For D.C.-area residents, the work resonates as a love letter to Reagan International — a hub both familiar and beloved. For me, the project embodies harmony in its balance of complexity and clarity, and reverence in the way it transforms data and infrastructure into human-centered art.
