Bringing to life the wonder of flight in an 18th Century church crypt


There exists a core of around 7,500 frequent Business Class flyers between London, New York and Los Angeles. These high value customers have a predetermined view of the American Airlines brand that is out of sync with its new Business Class offering. Commissioned by McCann Erickson, Studio SK created the biggest consumer event in the brands history outside of the US. At the heart, a large scale immersive installation designed to challenge deep-rooted perceptions of the brand as one that follows convention towards one as innovator.


Challenged to bring to life the Wonder of Flight within the imposing architecture of Sir John Soane's Crypt at Holy Trinity Church, Studio SK designed eight large scale kinetic panels programmed to move in perfect synchronisation when triggered by custom designed intelligent lighting and sound design. Each panel, designed to mimic the precise movements of the new Business Class seat, created shards and spots of light chased around the space by directional sound. Lighting the crypt up in a cacophony of colour, the panels were used to take guests on a virtual flight in the space from take-off to landing.

Made in collaboration with Jotta Studio.