Behind the scenes: Northern Atmospheric Reflections installation at Manchester Airport

For years, Northern Atmospheric Reflections existed in the form of sketches, conversations, models, technical drawings, prototypes and countless discussions. He lived on studio tables, computer screens and workshops long before finding his home in Manchester Airport’s transformed Terminal 2.

But every project reaches a point where the drawings stop and the real work begins.

For the Lazerian team, this moment arrived as installation began at one of the UK’s busiest airports.

Working in a live international airport

Unlike many public art installations, Atmospheric Reflections of the North could not simply be delivered and installed during normal business hours.

The artwork sits beyond security, hanging above one of the main routes passengers take as they make their way to the departure lounges. During the day, thousands of travelers pass through this area, making access extremely limited.

To minimize disruption to airport operations, much of the installation work took place overnight.

As passengers returned home and flights decreased, the terminal transformed into a very different environment. The noise and energy of travel gave way to a calmer atmosphere as installation teams, engineers, airport staff and specialist access teams got into place.

While most people were asleep, work began hundreds of feet above the terminal floor.

Bringing clouds to life

What looks easy from below is the result of a tremendous amount of planning and coordination.

Each of the suspended elements had to be carefully positioned within the terminal architecture, ensuring that each component aligned precisely with the overall composition. The installation spans a significant section of the departures area, requiring detailed mapping, sequencing and collaboration between multiple teams.

Working from elevated access platforms, the installation team gradually assembled the suspended forms one by one.

As each cluster was installed, the overall composition slowly began to emerge. Individual parachute-inspired shapes that previously only existed as separate components began to visually connect, creating the cloud-like landscape that now drifts through the terminal.

Seen from the ground, the process almost felt like watching time arrive.

Installation history

One of the most important aspects of the project was the incorporation of the original glass from the chandelier.

For decades, these glass droplets were part of Manchester Airport’s iconic Venetian chandeliers, welcoming generations of travelers before being removed from Terminal 1 in 2003.

Rather than preserving the chandeliers as museum pieces, the project sought to extend their history.

Each piece of salvaged glass was carefully integrated into the new facility, transforming fragments of the airport’s past into part of its future.

Seeing these historic elements hanging again within the airport was a particularly rewarding moment for everyone involved in the project.

A collaboration of disciplines

Projects of this scale are never carried out by just one person.

Alongside the Lazerian team, the facility relied on engineers, fabricators, specialty contractors, airport operations teams, project managers, access specialists and countless others working together to bring the vision to life.

Installing artwork in a real-world airport environment requires careful coordination, planning and trust across multiple disciplines.

Every mounting point, suspension cable and component had to be considered not only from an artistic point of view, but also from an operational and technical point of view.

The result is a piece that feels light and effortless, despite the complexity required to make it possible.

See the work for the first time

One of the most memorable moments of any installation is when the final pieces are placed and the work can be seen as a whole.

After months of manufacturing and weeks of installation, there comes a point when the access equipment begins to disappear and the work of art can finally stand on its own.

For the first time, the suspended shapes could be seen as they were intended: floating above passengers as they pass through the terminal.

The clouds, parachutes and glass droplets that had existed for years as ideas, prototypes and workshop components were now part of the airport itself.

A new chapter for a familiar icon

Atmospheric Reflections of the North is much more than the installation of a new work of art.

It is the continuation of a story that began with the original chandeliers at Manchester Airport over sixty years ago.

By reimagining rather than replacing these historic elements, the project preserves a connection to the airport’s heritage while creating something entirely new for future generations of travelers.

Today, passengers passing beneath the installation can only spend a few moments looking up.

What they don’t see are the years of design development, engineering, manufacturing and overnight installation that made these moments possible.

And maybe that’s exactly how it should be.

The best facilities often seem to always have their place there.