A NEW TWIST on Paphos’ ancient cult of Aphrodite was evident as Paphos International Airport opened its doors to the media yesterday, giving the public a preview of the new terminal.

From sculpture to floor and wall mosaics, Paphos’ most famous export is the underlying artistic theme of the airport. “We wanted passengers to feel they are in Cyprus, and we wanted to promote the heritage of Cyprus, which is so rich. The concept of the airport is a ‘sense of place’,” said Michel Hochet managing director of the Cyprus branch of Bouygues Batiment International, the French design and construction company responsible for the project.

“Everything from beginning to the end, from the first design to the build was to reflect our concept,” said the art curator Yiannis Toumazis.

“From the colours we’ve used to the materials, we wanted to reflect Cyprus and its history.

It was very important to choose the right artists and the right artwork. This had to reflect the old and the new. Two of the three artists are from Paphos and the third from Limassol.”

“Some of the most brilliant mosaics in the world are a few kilometres away from the terminal in Paphos, and this is reflected in our mosaic works of art,” he added.

The pale wooden check-in counters, the stone floor complete with ‘krokalia’, the local black and white pebble mosaics, certainly make for a sharp contrast with the existing shabby terminal.

Marianna Constanti is responsible for the eye-catching mosaics, which are on the wall behind the check-in desks. The contemporary work uses the faces of women from Paphos.

At the entrance to the terminal, Helene Black has created an impressive work depicting the goddess of love. The sculpture is similar to ancient images of the goddess found in Paphos.

Socrates Socratou, meanwhile, has created a staggering panoramic 60x4m work of art, based on the history of Cyprus. It’s been inspired by the gardens in Kouklia, which Aphrodite is said to have frequented, and is rich in flora and fauna.

“We fought hard to keep this space used by Socratou for art,” said Toumazis.

Hochet agreed: “The piece is placed behind the conveyor belts in the baggage hall and this is a prime position for advertisers. It was difficult to keep the space clear, but we managed it.”

It’s often said you can tell a place by its toilets, and an inspection of the new sleek facilities in arrivals did not disappoint. Complete with a baby changing area, the clean contemporary design will lift the spirits of even the weariest traveller.

After 27 months of construction the project has been delivered on time and on budget. The terminal will be able to handle 2.7 million passengers a year and has a 940 bay surface car park.

The architecture firm Pascall and Watson designed the terminal and the surface area covers 18,000 square metres.

The terminal boasts environmentally friendly lighting and air-conditioning systems and where possible, traditional Cypriot materials have been used.

David Labardin, the technical and design director explained that the latest security systems using biometrics fingerprint and face recognition have been installed.

Bouygues Batiment used 95 per cent of their sub-contractors from Cyprus, and confirmed this is something they try and do with all their projects.

“It was important for us to try and use locals as we do with all our projects,” said Hochet. “We did manage to find local people, although some of them had to employ staff from other countries. At one time there were 14 different nationalities working side by side.

“We’re all very proud of this project, and I would like to thank everyone involved. We’re still motivated to carry on our work at Larnaca airport, and in addition, we have a number of other projects in Cyprus, which we will commence in the future.”

The new look Paphos International Airport will open in November.

By Bejay Browne

Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008

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