Rootlab was engaged by Oklahoma-based artist Shane Darwent to design, engineer, fabricate, and install his artwork, Sunrising, at Tulsa International Airport.

The installation features an array of 34 slowly rotating architectural resin, arranged in a 130-foot-long display over the airport’s security entrance. The panels transition through a gradient of colors from sunrise to sunset, dynamically interacting with both with reflective surfaces and natural light streaming through the airport's atrium windows.

Our engineering designers developed a custom electro-mechanical system to bring Shane’s vision to reality. We prototyped, tested and revised our design several times over a truncated timeline. Additionally, we partnered with an external engineering firm to verify every aspect of our design to ensure it met the rigorous demands of an overhead installation in a high-traffic environment.

Our scope of work included fabricating custom motor enclosures, implementing redundant connections at each stage— from beam connections to flexible joints at the stainless steel hanger brackets and resin panels— and developing a custom control program for operating the artwork. This program features remote maintenance access to ensure ongoing functionality and minimum downtime.