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Nick Cave’s Kansas Airport Installation Removed After Parts Fall Off

A Nick Cave installation at the Kansas City airport is now grounded after an incident of parts falling off in October.

The $1 million installation, titled “The Air Up There”, was installed at the new terminal of the Kansas City International Airport. It was part of the ambitious $1.5 billion new terminal which had allocated $5.65 million for public artworks alone. Cave’s was the second-most expensive work, following Fountain (KCI) worth $1.2 million. At the time, the kinetic installation was praised for its vibrant aesthetics and displaying symbols native to the city.

However, in October of last year, a spinner broke off from the installation and fell on the floor. While it did not injure anyone, the installation – which featured 2,800 such spinners – was removed as a precautionary step. Subsequent investigations found that the connectors used in the installation to bind everything together weren’t strong enough, thereby making the installation a safety hazard.

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Now, the airport officials have made the decision to permanently ground the artwork as no viable re-engineering strategy was found. The work would still remain under Kansas City’s ownership, though it might be relegated to storage due to its inherent hazard. Nick Cave did not comment on the city’s decision. It is important to note that the artist is not liable for this incident and the one-year guarantee against manufacturing defects was passed when the incident occurred. It also means that Kansas City would not be reimbursed for the $1 million they paid for the installation.