New documentary follows the reimagination of Manchester Airport’s famous chandeliers

• >   The documentary follows the journey from the moment bosses decided to reinvent the airport’s iconic chandeliers right through to the installation of the new artwork in Terminal 2.
• >   Behind the scenes footage and interviews show the design process as well as illustrating what the chandeliers mean to staff and passengers.
• >   The documentary can be found on Manchester Airport’s YouTube Channel and on the dedicated webpage (LINK) 

Manchester Airport’s landmark project to reimagine one of the iconic chandeliers that featured in Terminal 1 when it opened in the 1960s is now the subject of a new documentary.

Over the last three years the airport has undertaken a project to take one of the old chandeliers and reimagine it to become a breathtaking art installation in its brand new, £1.5bn Terminal 2.

The final piece of art – titled Atmospheric Reflections of the North – now hangs in the new state-of-the-art security hall, welcoming passengers to the ‘super terminal’.

The 20-minute documentary was created in collaboration with OddFilms, a Wythenshawe based media company that is part of the Businesses in Wythenshawe (BW3) forum which the airport supports.

Using behind the scenes footage and interviews, the film highlights the various steps, challenges and emotions on the way to the project’s final installation in May 2026. This included the airport’s collaboration with Manchester School of Architecture students, the intricate methods used by leading artist Liam Hopkins of Lazerian, to deliver the project and the celebration as they were unveiled.

The documentary reveals the unique characteristics of the artwork, including the use of parachutes as a tribute to the airport having been a home to a parachute training facility in the Second World War and design details nodding to the flight paths planes use as they leave the airport.

Airport colleagues who have worked on the project and worked with the chandeliers when they were in Terminal 1 were also included in the documentary. Simon Cave, now a senior engineer at the airport, speaks about his time as an apprentice changing the lighting in the original Terminal 1 chandeliers and Rob Sawyer, airport duty manager and airport historian, recounted the chandeliers’ grandeur when they were revealed to the public as Terminal 1 opened in 1962.

The documentary demonstrates the chandeliers’ role in celebrating colleagues and partners of the Terminal 2 transformation, and other key stakeholders who will each receive a unique tag that matches up with ones attached to the parachutes in the terminal.

Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director at Manchester Airport said:

“Here at Manchester Airport we are proud to connect the North to the World and the reimagining of our famous chandeliers – Atmospheric Reflections of the North – is a great way of illustrating that sense of pride.

“This documentary demonstrates the thought and the sheer amount of people involved from the start to the finish of this amazing project. It showcases the creativity behind the new installation that celebrates the airport’s long history serving its passengers, colleagues and local communities.

“The artwork will be a lasting legacy recognising all colleagues involved in the programme to transform Terminal 2.

“I hope everyone enjoys the documentary as much as I have.”

Andy Ellis, Jamie Shelton & Louis Briggs at OddFilms said:

“One of the things we love most about documentary filmmaking is uncovering the stories people might otherwise never see.

“These chandeliers have quietly been part of Manchester Airport's history for generations, so capturing their journey, from careful restoration to their new home in terminal 2, was a genuine privilege.

“It's a story about craftsmanship, heritage and giving something iconic a new lease of life and we hope the film allows people to see this incredible piece of art in a new light.”