The City of San José and Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) welcome the installation of a new artwork in the pre-security Arrivals Hall of Terminal B. The artwork titled “A million Times (San José)” presents clocks as objects that transcend their ordinary functional existence – providing a hypnotic experience for the viewer.
Composed of 160 clock faces with white hands set against a black stone-like surface, the piece combines software, hardware, sensors and contemporary aesthetics. By programing the clock hands to spin individually, but in formation, the artwork reports time accurately while also playfully representing the concept of time passing.
Within the collection of choreographies, three compositions were custom designed by the artists for “A million Times (San José),” each taking inspiration from the location of the artwork within SJC and San José itself. These abstract patterns draw upon San José as an engine for technological development, the city’s close proximity to the ocean, and the busy hub of the airport with its ever-rotating arrivals and departures. These reference points share a common, cyclical theme: everything is perpetually in motion, fluid and changing.
“Travel, time and art are concepts that work and play together in life and in imagination,” said John Aitken, director of Mineta San José International Airport. “As we emerge from what has felt to many like warped time, it’s a pleasure to welcome this particular installation to SJC. Travel is known to provide inspiration, and the airport is a perfect stage for this piece with its artful mechanics, intricately moving parts, and on-time performance.”
“Being the urban core of Silicon Valley, San José is fortunate to have a deep cultural heritage and serve as the crossroads for technology and art,” said Michael Ogilvie, public art director for the City of San José. “It is exciting to have a partner in SJC to support our ambitious and wide-ranging public art program and to bring this fascinating artwork A million Times by Humans since 1982 to SJC to mesmerize, relax, and surprise the curious traveler.”
Bastian Bischoff, co-founder of Humans since 1982, explained, “The passage of time feels particularly relevant in the context of the airport. By placing this work in SJC, we intend to turn waiting into a reflective and meditative opportunity, creating a space where people choose and enjoy the experience of waiting.” The artists, Humans since 1982, were selected by a panel of Bay Area artists, arts administrators, and airport stakeholders to bring a unique vision of time to SJC. Funded through a percentage of Airport Capital Improvement funds, the piece will become a permanent signature artwork, as part of SJCs Art + Technology Public Art Program.
