Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is a place defined by motion. This year, that constant movement becomes the foundation of a yearlong exhibition from Georgia Tech Arts.

“Transport | Transform | Transcend: Innovations in Materials and Movements” opened Nov. 25 in Terminal T North and runs through November 2026. Curated by Birney Robert, the installations by Georgia Tech researchers and artists turn movement — through bodies, wireless signals, sound, and recycled materials — into something you can see, hear, and interact with.

The challenge: create work that registers in seconds but still invites deeper engagement.

Here’s what travelers might encounter.

LuminAI: An AI system that dances with you

One installation centers on LuminAI, a system that learns from how you move and responds with movement of its own. Walk closer, and it recognizes your presence, tracking your motion and displaying it on a digital avatar.

Created by digital media professor Brian Magerko and research scientist Milka Trajkova, the project treats AI not as a tool but as a creative partner. Because airport visitors encounter art in passing, Trajkova said the system was designed for a “glance-based audience.” 

“The goal of my research in AI and creativity has always been to augment, not replace, the human experience,” Magerko said.

TechThrive turns travelers’ motion into live visuals

Walk past computer science professor Ashutosh Dhekne’s TechThrive installation and your movement becomes part of the art. Using ultra-wideband wireless signals, the system translates nearby motion into a shifting, flower-like form. The center incorporates arcs representing departing flights, drawn from publicly available aviation data.

Because the work operates entirely on-device — no cameras, no cloud processing — Dhekne emphasizes its sustainability. The project, he said, “makes science more accessible to everyone.”

BIKES brings mobile sound art to the concourse

Composer and researcher Henrik von Coler’s BIKES, developed with Edison Electric Bikes founder Ryan Hersh, turns bicycles into mobile sound installations. The project grew from von Coler’s experience riding in Atlanta and observing how sound already accompanies cyclists.

For the airport, the team displayed what von Coler calls a “Phase II prototype,” a sound system designed to work “everywhere inside the perimeter … without a generator that runs on fossil fuels.”

Nearby, Gil Weinberg’s installation features Haile, a robotic musician capable of listening and responding in real-time. The work was designed to give airport audiences multiple ways to engage — through the robot’s presence, images of related research, or a short video.

Installations made from recycled plastic and solar research

Architect Hyojin Kwon presents two projects that respond to the airport’s compressed attention span. “Plastic Reimagined” transforms locally collected high-density polyethylene and Polylactic Acid waste into sculptural forms. “Ephemeral Instruments” uses computational processing to generate shifting digital patterns. Both, Kwon said, use “recognizable forms or rhythmic digital motion to meet viewers moving at airport pace.”

Designer Lisa Marks contributes textile-based works that merge computational design with traditional handcraft, using structure and light to create sculptural forms that remain legible even to travelers moving quickly through the concourse.

Materials scientist Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena and artist Jeremy Bolen collaborate on work grounded in solar energy research, inviting what Correa-Baena calls “a deeper conversation about the scientific, ethical, and societal dimensions of harnessing and using photons from sunlight.”

Media artist Daniel Phelps‘s “Silicon and Soil” uses image processing and a hidden audio layer to explore how digital imagery shapes perception.

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A broader commitment to creative technologies

“Transport | Transform | Transcend” also reflects Georgia Tech’s broader commitment to creative technologies, including its Creative Quarter initiative and a forthcoming Bachelor of Science in Arts, Entertainment, and Creative Technologies. With installations drawing from engineering, dance, music technology, material science, and architecture, the exhibition brings emerging research into one of the world’s most heavily trafficked public spaces.

For Georgia Tech, the installation is both showcase and experiment: proof that art, science, and engineering can converge in a transit hub where millions of people who might never visit a gallery can stop, look, and move.

The exhibition runs through November 2026 and is free and accessible to all Hartsfield-Jackson travelers.

The post At Hartsfield-Jackson, Georgia Tech turns movement into art appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Ahead of the premiere of the final season of the Netflix hit “Stranger Things,” fans can step into the Upside Down one last time.

The home of the Byers family – Joyce (Winona Ryder) and her sons Will (Noah Schnapp) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) – is available to rent on Airbnb. The house is located in Fayetteville and is one of the most recognizable filming locations from the show. 

The home features decor that emulates “Stranger Things,” including a replica of the light-up alphabet that Joyce builds in season one to try to communicate with Will when he’s stuck in the Upside Down. 

The first season of “Stranger Things” premiered on Netflix in 2016. The first half of the final season will premiere on Netflix on Nov. 26. The second half drops on Dec. 25, with the final episode airing on Dec. 31. In addition to dropping on Netflix, the series finale will also play in select theaters Dec. 31 – Jan. 1. 

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It is forecast that Friday, Nov. 21, Sunday, Nov. 30, and Monday, Dec. 1, will be the peak travel days, according to a news release from the airport. Dec. 1, is expected to be the busiest, with over 375,000 passengers.

ATL is advising passengers to arrive at the airport at least 2.5 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before international departures.

Airport officials urged flyers to check ATL.com for updates on parking availability and security wait times, as well as social media channels (@ATLairport) and individual airline social media for additional updates.

The airport has installed 18 “information totems” around pre-security areas to inform passengers of expected wait times, updating at different points within the queue.

ATL also advised passengers to check updated TSA regulations on the “What Can I Bring?” webpage. Notably, all firearms and ammunition must be appropriately secured within checked baggage.

“Thanksgiving is one of the most cherished travel seasons of the year, and ATL is proud of its role in connecting families and communities around the globe,” Ricky Smith, Hartsfield-Jackson’s general manager, said in a statement. “Our team is focused on moving everyone safely, smoothly, and with the level of service they expect from the world’s busiest and most efficient airport.”

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All airlines can resume their regular schedules starting at 6 a.m. Monday at the 40 airports that were impacted by the reductions. The list includes Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

RELATED: FAA to lift all restrictions on commercial flights (NPR)

The FAA initially started the flight cuts at 4% on Nov. 7 and set a target of 10%. The cuts reached 6% at their peak.

Cancellations saw their highest number on Nov. 9 when airlines cut more than 2,900 flights because of the FAA order and staffing issues. Air traffic controllers were among the federal employees who worked without pay throughout the shutdown.

Read more at WSBTV.com.

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The order from the Federal Aviation Administration, which applies only to domestic flights, was triggered by “increased reports of strain” among air traffic controllers and the pilots they serve.

Federal workers, including air traffic controllers, have had to work without pay for more than five weeks.

“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said. “The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.”

A 4% reduction in operations at 40 of the busiest U.S. airports, including at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, started Friday and will increase gradually to 10% by Tuesday.

Airlines must issue full refunds for cancellations.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is advising customers that they can reschedule for free for travel by Nov. 18 or simply cancel. The carrier said it expected the “vast majority” of flights to operate on time.

United Airlines said it was focused on reducing flights that do not travel between its hubs. It is allowing any customer, even those holding non-refundable and basic economy tickets, to request a refund if they do not want to fly during the flight reductions.

Politicians continued to trade blame for the record-breaking shutdown, which extended to 38 days on Friday.

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, said he cosponsored bipartisan legislation to pay air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers during the shutdown. He also said he voted for another bill to pay some federal employees, but it failed on the Senate floor.

“The American people and our federal workers must not be held hostage by Washington politicians’ games,” Warnock said.

The White House said Friday that the FAA safety restrictions “loom like a guillotine” over the upcoming holidays, adding, “Democrats are inflicting their man-made catastrophe on Americans just trying to make life-saving medical trips or get home for Thanksgiving.”

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