They are among our city’s most celebrated symbols. Having been photographed tens of thousands of times by both amateur and professional photographers, the eight columns that reach for the sky at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) represent Houston’s international identity and its importance in the global economic market. Originally created in 1990 by local artist Jay Baker, the Light Spikes debuted in downtown Houston for the Economic Summit of Industrial Nations. However, because of their popularity they were later moved temporarily to the airport. Days turned into months and then years, and now on their 16th anniversary the Houston Airport System has decided to give the Light Spikes a major facelift. “It was never planned for the Light Spikes to become a permanent exhibit at the airport, but once they were here it was pretty evident that they fit in pretty well,” says Rick Vacar, director of the Houston Airport System. “They have persevered throughout the years and we felt it was time to give them an upgrade.” Pam Ingersoll, director of the art conservation program for the Houston Airport System, is responsible for the renovation of this unique artwork and has been working with artist and conservator Ben Woitena on the project.

“The restoration was originally supposed to only change out the skins on the columns, but as we moved forward with the project we realized they needed to be fully refurbished,” adds Ingersoll. “In essence we have recreated the art piece as a permanent exhibit.”

The “skins” on the eight, 24-foot columns represent the countries that were present at the economic summit in 1990 – Japan, Germany, France, Canada, the United States, Italy, Great Britain, and the European community.

Each column leans at a 10-degree angle toward a central point representing Houston, and the distance between each spike and this central point represents the distance between Houston and the capital of the country.

Woitena installed new fluorescent lights inside the columns, aluminum flex frames that can withstand up to 130-mile-per-hour winds, and landscaping improvements to the area around the art piece.

On December 17th the Light Spikes were unveiled once again during a high profile dedication ceremony.

“Today the Light Spikes remind us of our rapidly changing world, where international commerce and travel are more important than ever for the prosperity of nations and great cities like Houston,” added Vacar. “All of us at the Houston Airport System are proud to be guardians of our City’s gateway to the world.”

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