Author: Charlotte Bearn
Ben Eine: The Sky's the Limit
Ben Eine’s art is reaching new heights in the first gallery at 35,000ft. During the month of February, Virgin Atlantic, Richard Branson’s airline, will be displaying 10 works by Eine in its upper-class clubhouses at Heathrow and New York’s JFK airport. Upper-class passengers on London to New York flights will be able to take a virtual tour of the Gallery in the Air, look behind-the-scenes at the making of the Virgin Atlantic artworks by Eine in his studio, and even commission a ‘pixel portrait’ of their own image.
“Branson’s a cool dude,” Eine told the Guardian, “I did have misgivings at first – I try not to collaborate with brands very often. But I’ve been interested in Branson for a long time: he’s just a genuine, decent guy.”
Apparently Ben Eine has discussed designing sick bags and menus to be used throughout the plane. “It’s a natural extension of the fact that art is no longer just about traditional galleries”, he says, “Transatlantic flying is pretty boring. This is an experiment to make that journey a little less mundane.”
