Xavier Cortada, Pelican Path,” hand-made and hand-painted ceramic tile and aluminum cut-out, 4 feet by 40 feet , 2014

Xavier Cortada was commissioned by the Public Art and Design Program of the Broward County Public Art and Design Program to create Pelican Path for Port Everglades Terminal 4.  Here is what the artist had to say about the work as he was developing it:

When a pelican takes flight, it skips across the surface of the water gently tapping the waves.  It leaves a trail of ripples and eddies behind, a path that quickly disappears as the pelican flies across the waves and over the sea.  Likewise, cruise passengers about to embark on their vacations will soon be taking off across the water themselves with their ship leaving disappearing ripples in its wake.

There will be a 4’x40’ ceramic mural depicting the “pelican’s path” (that is, the ripples that are generated when the webbed feet of a pelican slap the water as it takes flight).  This mural will hang on the wall leading passengers from the ticketing portion of the terminal to the waiting area.  Suspended in front of the mural will be a silhouette of a pelican which will appear to be emerging and taking flight from the mural which will be fabricated of polished aluminum.

The artwork engages passengers as they are about to embark on their journey across the sea.  It draws a connection to what they will see from their vantage point on the ship – the sea, the shore, and the sky.  It functions to assist with wayfinding by providing visual cues to the passengers to lead them from the ticketing area through the terminal towards the ship and helps to promote tourism by improving the cruise passenger experience.

You can read more about the work by reading press articles announcing the work when the terminal opened and during its installation.