Baggage Claim

The stacks of vintage suitcases and luggage near the baggage carousels at Indianapolis International Airport (IND) are actually cleverly designed seats, and characterize the humor that Baron brings to his work. Looking closely, patrons will notice Lilliputian people perched around the sculpture, which the artist describes as showcasing "...a frozen fictitious moment of time."

• Artist: Ron Baron, Brooklyn, New York
• Installation: 2008
• Materials: Cast bronze, patinas and paint; 21 feet by 24 feet
• Fabricator: White River Foundry, Spencer, Indiana
• Airport Location: Baggage Claim

Recalling the dawn of mass transit in the 1950s and 1960s, Baron spent more than 18 months working with White River Foundry in Spencer, Indiana to disassemble suitcases into halves, then cast each piece by making a wax replica. He then covered them with a ceramic mold, melting the wax (which is collected and recycled throughout the process), and filling the ceramic shell with molten bronze (heated to 2,000 degrees during the casting process).

Realizing this work is actually functioning furniture, this piece doubles as an art installation as well as a place to take a seat while waiting baggage claim at IND, similar to Suitcase Chairs, created for a Long Island Rail Road station near New York City.