Art Takes Wing at Austin-Bergstrom: ‘The Nature of Sound’ Brings Birds, Music and Austin Spirit to AUS
For Central Texans, the sound of birds in the morning and music drifting through the city are both part of what makes Austin feel like Austin. Soon, those familiar pieces of local life will greet travelers in a new way at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The Nature of Sound, a large-scale ceiling installation by artists Josef Kristofoletti and Matthew Mazzotta, is being created for the new Atrium Infill inside the Barbara Jordan Terminal at AUS. The work will feature three colorful bird sculptures installed within the skylights of the 12,000-square-foot expansion area, blending Austin’s love of nature, public art and live music into one of the most visible new spaces at the airport.
The installation is part of the Journey With AUS Expansion Program, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s multi-year effort to expand and modernize the airport while keeping the passenger experience rooted in Austin and Central Texas culture. Airport officials have described Journey With AUS as a program designed to meet the needs of the growing region while preserving an authentic local sense of place.
Birds, Wildflowers and Music in the Barbara Jordan Terminal
The Nature of Sound will be installed in the Atrium Infill, a project designed to add approximately 12,000 square feet to the Arrivals and Departures Hall of the Barbara Jordan Terminal. The added space is expected to support passenger processing, TSA security screening, bag check and the overall traveler experience at an airport serving one of the fastest-growing regions in Texas.
For the art itself, scale matters. Each of the three bird sculptures will measure roughly 10 feet long and 9 feet tall, standing on perches 14.5 feet above the Atrium Infill terrazzo floor. A birdsong soundwave, decorated with wildflowers and built from steel, will stretch 19.1 feet long — about the length of a shipping container.
The artists describe The Nature of Sound as a “beautifully colored visual representation of sound using plants, birds and their songs.” In their vision, birdsong becomes wildflowers, creating a visual tribute to Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World while also nodding to the natural world that surrounds Central Texas neighborhoods, parks, trails and backyards.
A Public Art Piece Built From Community Input
Like all 23 public art installations commissioned through the Journey With AUS Expansion Program, The Nature of Sound began with listening.
Through community engagement across Austin, tabling at AUS and conversations with passengers, the artists gathered ideas about the history, culture and values that make the city recognizable to residents and visitors. Themes that surfaced included love of music, love of nature, tech versus rural identity, Austin is weird and diversity.
Those ideas now appear in the work’s bright colors, bird forms, murals and soundwave-inspired flowers. The result is not just airport decoration. It is meant to feel like a piece of Austin suspended overhead — something travelers can notice quickly on the way to a flight, or pause under for a longer look.
The artists said they designed the installation to “seamlessly integrate into the new space of the Atrium Infill area by using the inside of the skylights and the space below the ceiling.” Because the work can be viewed from several angles throughout the atrium and from directly beneath the skylights, passengers will be able to experience it differently as they move through the terminal.
Fabrication Is Underway in Texas
The Nature of Sound is now halfway complete and being fabricated at Smash Design in Alvin, Texas. The colorful bird sculptures and custom murals designed by local artist and muralist Josef Kristofoletti are beginning to take physical shape before their future installation at AUS.
Recently, staff from Austin Aviation and the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places program, administered through Austin Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment, visited Smash Design to see the fabrication process firsthand. Throughout the project, Austin Aviation and AIPP have worked with the artists, architects, engineers and safety teams to make sure the sculptures meet installation requirements and can be safely suspended in the terminal.
The next step will be installing the apparatus that will hold the bird sculptures in place. Later this summer, Austin Aviation and AIPP staff are expected to welcome the Atrium Infill artists back to AUS for the on-site installation of the skylight murals and bird sculptures.
Why This Matters for Austin Travelers
For many residents, airport expansion can feel like a story about construction, parking, checkpoints and gates. Those things matter, especially as Central Texas continues to grow. But The Nature of Sound also shows how public art can help a changing airport still feel connected to the people it serves.
The Atrium Infill is part of a broader effort to improve how passengers move through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. AUS has said the project will add space for security screening, bag check and passenger processing in the Barbara Jordan Terminal. For local families, business travelers, visitors, musicians, students and airport workers, that means the new space is being built not only for capacity, but also for experience.
That balance matters in Austin. As the airport grows, residents often want to see infrastructure that works better without losing the city’s personality. A ceiling filled with birds, wildflowers and visual music is one way AUS is trying to make that growth feel more local, more welcoming and more memorable.
The birds may also call to mind the Painted Bunting, one of Central Texas’ most colorful native bird species. Not every traveler will spot one in the wild, but soon passengers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will be able to look up and see a bright, whimsical interpretation of birdsong inside one of the airport’s newest public spaces.
What Happens Next
The Atrium Infill is expected to open later this year as part of the continuing Journey With AUS Expansion Program. Once installed, The Nature of Sound will become a permanent public art feature in the Barbara Jordan Terminal, welcoming travelers to Austin with a scene shaped by music, nature, color and community input.
For residents watching the future of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport unfold, the project is another reminder that the airport is more than a place to catch a flight. It is one of the first and last impressions people have of Austin — and increasingly, a place where the region’s growth, identity and creativity meet under one roof.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more updates on Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, local public art projects and the Journey With AUS Expansion Program.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.