Image by: Hood Design Studio

Migrations draws inspiration from the Early Migrations art period (c. 300–900), which captured the artistry of Germanic tribes through varied styles such as the polychrome and animal styles. These historic modes of expression inform the sculptural language and materiality of the project, while the ecology of the western United States—particularly the great bird migration flyway—provides a contemporary lens.

Across cultures and diasporas, myth and folklore often merge animal and human forms to tell stories of transformation. Avian-humanoid figures appear again and again as symbols of transcendence, rebirth, and freedom. These narratives resonate within the layered cultural landscape of San Diego—a place shaped by Indigenous histories, colonial legacies, and the ongoing movements of people across borders. Here, the ground itself is political, marked by thresholds and boundaries. At the San Diego Airport, however, the landscape transforms: the earth gives way to the sky, and movement takes flight.

Positioned within the airport’s main entry and exit interchange, Migrations manifests as a site-specific sculptural ensemble. Two zoomorphic figures—one rising to forty feet and one other at half scale—stand upon a shared base, each rendered in bold hues of red and yellow. Emblematic of bird species, their beaks pierce the ground, forging symbolic connections between earth and sky, animals and people, history and myth. As both landmark and metaphor, Migrations invites reflection on the intertwined journeys of species, cultures, and communities in constant motion.