The creation of an official poster is a tradition that dates back to the first Paris air show, held in 1909 in the Grand Palais in the heart of the French capital. This year, Mr. Van Den Berg was one of the artists invited to present a design concept for the official poster. “I was contacted by the selection committee who had seen my work online, and was given one week to work on a design for the poster,” Mr. Van Den Berg explained. “The selection committee gave me quite a bit of freedom, insisting only that the design should not be focused on a specific type of aircraft, and that people – visitors to the air show – should also be central to the design. They liked what I created, and that’s how I was chosen.”
While Mr. Van Den Berg’s professional portfolio includes an array of advertising campaigns, music CD covers, magazine illustrations and large-scale wall murals, this project marks his first time creating artwork for the aviation industry. “I spent a lot of time researching images of airplanes and helicopters on the Internet and making sketches and taking notes in order to understand what shapes make-up an airplane and what makes a helicopter a helicopter,” said Mr. Van Den Berg. “Then I had the idea to add the little girl who looks to be dreaming – all the action in the poster seems to be happening in her hair.” While aerospace has been a traditionally male-dominated industry, more women are joining the ranks, making Mr. Van Den Berg’s decision to include a young girl, one of two human figures in the poster, an appropriate allusion to the industry’s future.
The human aspect in the forefront
Mr. Van Den Berg’s brightly colored collage of aircraft parts – notably landing gear, an airplane wing and engines – is a nod to the fact that the air show is indeed one of the aviation industry’s most important events. It brings together thousands of customers, suppliers and industry VIPs, and provides a platform to display the newest developments in technology and innovation. The human aspect of the air show, however, is clearly in the forefront – both of the poster, and of the real world. Human’s ability to dream and the ingenuity to turn those dreams into reality is no more apparent than in the history of aviation.
The magic of flight, the seemingly limitless boundaries of sky and the unknown frontier of space – these are the things that dreams are made of. The sense of awe and excitement reflected in the upturned faces of spectators admiring a daring stunt or graceful maneuver taking place high overhead – this is the allure and power of the air show. Mr. Van Den Berg has effectively captured these emotions in his dynamic image – inspiring those who see it to plan a visit to the air show in order to experience it for themselves.
