Paper Airplanes Washington D.C. Union Station Installation

Business need

To design and then fold the 58 airplanes that would be part of an art installation that would go up in Washington DC’s Union Station. We needed to make sure that the Delta message on the base and globe were highlighted, but also wanted to create a fun whimsical mood with the planes themselves. Each plane represented a different country and we needed to see from above and below the correct representation of each flag when folded.

Solution

Planes were fixed from metal rods, and over 30 different types of papers where tested to create different effects. After exploring different types of folds we found one that allowed us to see the flag design from above and below correctly, and was easy to fold. We tried painting the flags on the planes but found that printing would be less time and cost effective, so we went with that. 

 

 

Discovery Process

These are visuals of the model, the various paper airplane models that we tested, and the materials that we used to build and paint these paper airplanes.

Flags

These are visuals of some of the flags chosen for this project. In total there were 58 flags that we worked with. When folded all the flags had to line up perfectly so you could recognize from above and below each country represented.

Production & Installation

These are visuals of some of the flags chosen for this project. In total there were 58 flags that we worked with. When folded all the flags had to line up perfectly so you could recognize from above and below each country represented.