December 1-30, 2014, every night from 11:57 p.m.–midnight
Image: Charles Atlas, You Are My Sister (TURNING). Courtesy of the artist.
(New York, N.Y.) November 21, 2014 — Pioneering artist Charles Atlas has joined forces with artist/musician Antony to create You Are My Sister (TURNING), which will be shown on Times Square’s electronic billboards from 11:57 pm to midnight each night in December leading up to New Year’s Eve (December 1 – 30). This project is a part of Midnight Moment, a monthly presentation by The Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts. The December presentation is in partnership with Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI). For the first time in Midnight Moment history viewers in Times Square will have the unique chance to stream the music while viewing the video through this link: Turning.Fora.tv.
The video will also be available to the public online, complete with audio. It will be available on the Times Square Alliance YouTube channel starting on December 1 - 30.
For Times Square, Atlas has created a special remix of his vivid, multi-dimensional video portraits of women, which were originally processed and projected live as part of TURNING, a performance collaboration with Antony (of Antony & the Johnsons). The layered images revolve and float in hypnotic motion, forming lush tableaux. In the live performances, Atlas’ video visualization was paired with Antony’s song You Are My Sister, and his images mirror the lyrics’ powerful message of strength, sisterhood, and transcendence. Atlas’ special remix for Times Square brings together footage drawn from the New York and European performances of TURNING.
Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance, said, “The work of Charles Atlas and Antony portrays a message that we want to send to all of Times Square; both visitors and locals. As we enterthe holiday season and approach our New Year’s Eve celebration, it is important to remember that we are all one while still recognizing one another as individuals.”
Sherry Dobbin, Times Square Arts Director, said, “Both Charles Atlas and Antony are exceptional individuals who have collaboratively created a work that conveys the many layers and diversity of femininity, beauty and strength that commands the respect of everyone's communal sisters.”
“Each month, the Midnight Moment continues to reinvent itself with unique, creative content using a variety of multimedia techniques. You Are My Sister (TURNING) is the first Midnight Moment piece that will also be available to the public online, complete with audio to share its valuable message and outstanding visuals beyond the Crossroads of the World. I hope that sharing this nightly show online will encourage more locals and visitors to come experience the extraordinary digital display in person,” said Harry Coghlan, Chairman of the Times Square Advertising Coalition.
Charles Atlas, artist, said “I am proud to bring images inspired by the world of Antony from downtown to uptown —to the heart of New York City. For years, I have imagined having my videos play in Times Square, so I guess you could say this opportunity is a dream come true. For the last several years, I have been making large-scale video installations that have been shown in many places and contexts, but none have been as exciting as this one – my videos projected on a true city scale.”
Lori Zippay, Executive Director, Electronic Arts Intermix, said, “Charles Atlas is an innovator who for four decades has created unique fusions of video, dance, and performance that transcend genres and redefine forms. EAI is thrilled to partner with Times Square Arts to bring Atlas' stunningly re-envisioned portraits, which fluidly merge the live and the electronic, to this spectacular public venue.”
The following digital screens are participating in the December Midnight Moment:
7TS, ABC Super Sign, American Eagle Times Square, Bank of America, Branded Cities 7 Times Square, Branded Cities 1 Times Square, Branded Cities NASDAQ Tower Times Square, Branded Cities Thomson Reuters, CBS Outdoor 1515 Broadway, CEMUSA, City Outdoor, Clear Channel Spectacolor HD127, Clear Channel Spectacolor HD128, CNN Screen, Sherwood Outdoor, Superior Digital Displays Three Times Square #5, Thomson Reuters, V Media Times Square.
About Midnight Moment
Midnight Moment is the largest coordinated effort in history by the sign operators in Times Square to display synchronized, cutting-edge creative content on electronic billboards and newspaper kiosks throughout Times Square every night. The program premiered in May 2012 and is organized and supported by the Times Square Advertising Coalition in partnership with Times Square Arts, the public art program of the Times Square Alliance, with additional partners of participating sign holders and artists.
Each night, Times Square becomes a digital art gallery through dazzling visuals on select billboards and newsstands. Every show begins at 11:57 p.m. with a "countdown" that signals the start of the three minute nightly presentation. Past artists featured in the program include Noah Hutton, Ryoji Ikeda, Daniel Canogar, Alfredo Jaar; Isaac Julien; Robert Wilson; Tracey Emin; Seoungho Cho; Vicki DaSilva, Surabhi Saraf, and Elly Cho; Erika Janunger; Takeshi Murata; Bel Borba with Burt Sun and André Costantini; Zach Nader; Brian Gonzalez (aka Taxiplasm); Björk; JR; Ryan McGinley; Jack Goldstein; Nature Theater of Oklahoma; Ezra Wube; Laleh Khorramian; Brian Dailey; Leslie Thornton; and Yoko Ono. For more information on past projects, please visit http://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-arts/projects/midnight-moment/index.aspx.
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Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) is a trade association comprised of major advertisers, retailers, real estate firms, media companies and other businesses involved in the outdoor sign industry in Times Square, along with organizations representing Broadway and the community. Members of TSAC include: ABC Regional Sports & Entertainment Sales, Clear Channel Spectacolor, Daktronics, D3 LED, Digital Domination, Hines Management, Jamestown One Times Square, Lamar Advertising Company, Landmark Sign & Electric, Metro Media Technologies, Newmark Knight Frank, North Shore Neon, P.R.omotion!, Sherwood Outdoor, SL Green, Times Square Alliance, The WOW Factor and Thomson Reuters. www.timessquareadcoalition.org. Follow TSAC on twitter at @TSACNYC.
Times Square Arts, the public art program of the Times Square Alliance, collaborates with contemporary artists and cultural institutions to experiment and engage with one of the world's most iconic urban places. Through the Square's electronic billboards, public plazas, vacant areas and popular venues, and the Alliance's own online landscape, Times Square Arts invites leading contemporary creators to help the public see Times Square in new ways. Times Square has always been a place of risk, innovation and creativity, and the Arts Program ensures these qualities remain central to the district's unique identity. Generous support of Times Square Arts is provided by ArtPlace America and ArtWorks. Visit TimesSquareNYC.org/Arts for more information. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @TSqArts.
Charles Atlas has been a pioneering figure in film and video for over four decades, forging new territory in a range of genres, techniques, and stylistic approaches. He has created media/dance works, multi-channel video installations, feature-length documentaries, video art works for television, and live electronic performances. Atlas has fostered close collaborative relationships, working with artists and performers including Leigh Bowery, Michael Clark, Douglas Dunn, Marina Abramovic, Yvonne Rainer, and Antony & The Johnsons. His most notable collaboration was with Merce Cunningham, for whom he served as filmmaker-in-residence from the early 1970s through 1983.
Recent projects include solo shows at Salt Beyoglu, Istanbul (2014), Bloomberg Space, London (2013), Luhring Augustine Bushwick (2012) and De Hallen Museum, Holland (2012). Live performance/installations include a collaboration with Mika Tajima/New Humans at South London Gallery (2011), In Residence at the 2012 Whitney Biennial, and Charles Atlas and Collaborators at Tate Modern (2013). Ocean, Atlas’ film of Merce Cunningham’s epic dance, premiered at the Walker Art Center (2010). TURNING (2013), a documentary feature made in collaboration with Antony & the Johnsons, is currently touring in festivals worldwide and was released digitally and on DVD in November 2014. Atlas has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, three “Bessie” Awards and the Foundation for Contemporary Artʼs biennial John Cage Award.
Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI) is one of the world's leading resources for moving image art. Founded in 1971, EAI is a New York-based nonprofit organization that fosters the creation, exhibition, distribution, and preservation of video and media art. EAI holds a major collection of over 3,500 new and historical media artworks, from groundbreaking early video by pioneering figures of the 1960s to new digital projects by today’s emerging artists. EAI works closely with artists, museums, schools and other venues worldwide to preserve and provide access to this significant archive. EAI also presents public programs such as artists' talks, exhibitions and panels; extensive digital resources; viewing access; technical facilities, and educational services. EAI’s Online Catalogue is a comprehensive resource on the artists and works in the EAI collection, and features expansive materials on media art’s histories and current practices. www.eai.org
TURNING is now available for purchase via Secretly Canadian in North America and Rough Trade in the UK/Europe. The package includes a DVD of the documentary and CD of the complete audio recording of the TURNING concert, live at The Barbican in London in November 2006.
Media Contacts:
For Times Square Arts:
TJ Witham (212) 452-5234│ TJWitham@TimesSquareNYC.org
Marisa Wayne (212) 843-9216 │MWayne@Rubenstein.com
For TSAC:
Justine DiGiglio (212) 205-6632 │Justine@NicholasLence.com
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