Browse Public Art

Our Place in Space

Paul Marioni and Ann Troutner

King County International Airport

A dazzling terrazzo floor leads from North America to the moon.

Paul Marioni and Ann Troutner. Our Place in Space, 2003. Glass terrazzo. King County International Airport, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

The terrazzo floor inside the King County International Airport terminal building depicts the connection between the earth, the moon, and the cosmos. Our Place in Space, by Paul Marioni and Ann Troutner, offers a vision for how we, as people, fit into the universe.

The building’s front doors open to a series of land and sea forms that represent North America. From there, a dark blue expanse sparkles with embedded glass, suggesting deep space—vast, fragile, and flecked with countless stars and other astronomical objects. On the other side of the room, an image of the moon evokes cycles of waxing and waning, light and dark. When people walk from the entryway to the ticket counter they are walking to the moon; a trip across the floor becomes a poetic journey. Meanwhile a section of black-and-white checkerboard references the original floor.
Continue Reading ›
Paul Marioni and Ann Troutner. Our Place in Space (detail), 2003. Glass terrazzo. King County International Airport, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com
Paul Marioni and Ann Troutner. Our Place in Space (detail), 2003. Glass terrazzo. King County International Airport, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com
 

About the Location

King County International Airport

The site of the King County International Airport, also known as Boeing Field, has been a hotbed of aviation activity since the early 20th century when the flat land along the Duwamish River hosted early air shows. The location was home to the young Boeing Airplane Company before the citizens of King County voted in…

Read more about the art and artists at King County International Airport. More >