Immersive story-telling digital displays are helping enhance the airport experience for passengers across the world, writes Moment Factory’s Mikael Charpin.
It’s been twelve years since Moment Factory transformed Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) Tom Bradley International Terminal into North America’s largest airport multimedia ecosystem.
At the time, it marked a decisive shift — a visionary blend of storytelling, technology, and placemaking that reimagined the passenger journey, transforming a bustling environment into a calming oasis.
This groundbreaking initiative arguably set a new global standard for transportation hubs, putting LAX firmly on the map.
Today, the world’s leading airports are no longer just traditional transit points; they’ve evolved into vibrant destinations that offer immersive collective experiences.
Indeed, four of SKYTRAX’S Top 10 airports in 2025 — Singapore Changi Airport, Hamad International Airport, Seoul Incheon International Airport, and Hong Kong International Airport — have collaborated with award-winning entertainment studio Moment Factory to integrate multimedia into their terminals.
Each project is uniquely tailored to reflect the culture and identity of its location, showcasing how innovation transforms travel experiences into memorable moments.
We approach every airport as an original canvas — where architecture, multimedia, and storytelling converge to create a sense of place.
By integrating immersive environments into airport architecture, these transportation hubs are positioning themselves as powerful economic engines and brand ambassadors for their cities.
Beyond enhancing ambiance, they spark emotional connections, drive visitor numbers, and unlock new revenue-generating opportunities — all while restoring a sense of wonder long missing from modern air travel.
DIGITAL ART CELEBRATES KOREAN CULTURE AT INCHEON’S TERMINAL 2
For the expansion of its Terminal 2 Departure Hall, Incheon International Airport collaborated with Moment Factory to develop visual content that celebrates Korea’s rich cultural heritage.
Displayed on two curved 16K LED screens at the departure gates (pictured above), the content activates a monumental digital canvas visible from multiple angles.
The terminal’s video content features five original capsules inspired by the airport’s core values and vision, establishing a sense of place that highlights Korean culture, historical architecture, and natural landscapes.
The journey also ventures into the surreal, with scenes of fantastical underwater worlds and visions of a futuristic Korea. Each digital artwork is custom-made, combining 3D animation with live-action performance.
THE WONDERFALL AND DREAMSCAPE AT SINGAPORE CHANGI
For its third partnership with Changi Airport Group, Moment Factory, in collaboration with design studio BOIFFILS Architectures, created two signature multimedia installations for Singapore Changi Airport’s newly renovated Terminal 2.
The main objective was to capture the essence of the natural world, blurring the lines between nature and architecture, physical and digital, indoor and outdoor.
In the Departure Hall, passengers are greeted by ‘The Wonderfall’, a four-story digital waterfall. Nestled between vertical gardens, a curved LED screen showcases a dynamic cascade of water and rock formations.
Several times each hour, the waters change direction and form, choreographed to an original musical composition by pianist Jean-Michel Blais.
Changi Airport Group’s executive vice president of airport management, Jayson Goh, says: “It is always part of our service design to create a stress-free and sometimes surprising environment for our passengers. We found multimedia technology and digital content to be an ideal solution, enabling us to introduce new creative experiences.”
Airside, passengers unwind in ‘The Dreamscape’, a lush garden beneath a digital sky. This overhead installation mirrors real-time daylight and meteorological conditions by integrating the airport’s meteorological system. At intervals, the sky transforms into an underwater scene (pictured above). Embedded within the greenery, an evolving soundscape draws from local wildlife recordings, spatialised to create a fully immersive experience.
ENHANCING HAMAD’S GARDEN EXPERIENCE WITH DIGITAL ART
As part of the expansion to increase Hamad International Airport’s capacity to over 75 million passengers, Moment Factory was commissioned to create a digital art signature for the airport’s ‘Orchard’ tropical garden.
This kilometre-long LED ribbon spans two stories, showcasing native botanical themes and Qatar’s cultural heritage across a continuous, 24-hour ambient loop.
JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY IN HONG KONG
We also collaborated with the Airport Authority Hong Kong on the creation of its ‘Journey of Discovery’ experience at Hong Kong International Airport’s Terminal 1.
Spanning from kerb to gate, this immersive experience transforms the passenger journey for both arriving and departing travellers. Multiple multimedia installations, featuring interactive technologies and original content crafted by local artists, are strategically placed throughout the terminal.
Key installations include the Crystal Elevator in the Meeters and Greeters Hall, featuring a prismatic glass facade that displays eight themed videos offering a dynamic glimpse into the city, and the Twin Waterfall Gardens, where interactive sights and sounds respond as passengers stand still.
Modernising functional display elements, Totems of Joy are located at each departure gate. These installations offer a friendly farewell to travellers with engaging, destination-inspired selfie prompts, refreshing and enlivening the airport’s pre-boarding waiting areas.
As multimedia transforms transportation hubs into vibrant destinations and aerotropolises expand into vast ecosystems, Moment Factory is driving innovation with new projects, including a major collaboration at SKYCity near Hong Kong International Airport, set to open in 2026.
About the author
Mikael Charpin is the general manager and producer for the Cities Unit at Moment Factory.