May 1-31, 2016, every night from 11:57pm-midnight.
(New York, N.Y.) April 26, 2016 – Times Square Arts brings Jennifer Steinkamp’s brief film Botanic to Times Square’s electronic billboards from 11:57pm to midnight every night in May. This project is a part of Midnight Moment, a monthly presentation by The Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts.
Botanic is an animation consisting of flowering condolence plants floating inside a cubic framework. The flowers are blown by an unseen force, causing the plants to collide with each other and the edges of the frame. With each collision, they break apart into a collection of seeds, twigs, leaves and petals. The animations loop forward and back, transitioning between breaking apart and coming back together. By placing the animations on multiple screens in Times Square, the container of the video expands to the space of the city, where the imagery of nature contrasts against the man-made architecture.
Jennifer Steinkamp said, “The opportunity to create artwork on such a grand scale within extreme iconic architecture is amazing for me. I am excited about my work being presented in this context, and the meaning that the artwork can lend to the context and vice versa.”
Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance, said, “Times Square often reflects the transitioning moods and thoughts of our culture – and as we leap into spring, Steinkamp reminds us of the transience of nature in our less than natural environment here.”
Sherry Dobbin, Times Square Arts Director, said, “We have been fascinated with Steinkamp’s ability to trick us into perceiving a natural environment with the most artificial of technologies.”
Fred Rosenberg, President of the Times Square Advertising Coalition, said: “As we begin our fifth year of the Midnight Moment program, it seems appropriate to celebrate with a vibrant bouquet of flowers that reflects the colorful atmosphere of Times Square."
Harry Coghlan, Chairman of the Times Square Advertising Coalition, said: “The TSAC organization was captivated with the movement and vitality that carpets every inch of the enormous screens. It’s perfect timing for a piece that showcases the beauty of springtime as we approach Mother’s Day and Memorial Day.”
The following digital screens are participating in the May Midnight Moment:
ABC SuperSign, American Eagle Times Square, Bank of America, Branded Cities 7 Times Square, Branded Cities NASDAQ Tower Times Square, Branded Cities Thomson Reuters, Outfront Media 1515 Broadway/ Viacom North & South, CEMUSA, City Outdoor, Clear Channel Spectacolor HD127/CNN, Clear Channel Spectacolor HD128, Morgan Stanley Lights on Broadway, Sherwood Equities 1 Times Square, Superior Digital Displays Three Times Square #5, Superior Digital Displays Triple Play
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 11:57pm with a "countdown" that signals the start of the three minute nightly presentation. Past artists featured in the program include Soundwalk Collective; Lorna Mills; Peter Fischli and David Weiss; Laurie Anderson; Antony Nagelmann; Jesper Just; Shahzia Sikander; Rashaad Newsome; Osgemeos; Eric Dyer; Richard Garet; Andy Warhol; Peggy Ahwesh; Marco Brambilla; Rafaël Rozendaal; Sebastian Errazuriz; Charles Atlas and Antony; 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
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 the. New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Visit http://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-arts/index.aspx for more information. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @TSqArts.
Jennifer Steinkamp employs computer animation and new media to create projection installations in order to explore ideas about architectural space, motion, and phenomenological perception. Her digitally animated works make use of the interplay between actual space and illusionistic space, thus creating environments in which the roles of the viewing subjects and the art objects become blurred. Jennifer Steinkamp teaches at UCLA's Design Media Arts Department. She has exhibited widely at prominent institutions and biennials worldwide, and her work can be found in numerous public and private collections, including The Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia; Centro de Arte Contemporaneo de Malaga, Spain; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, California; Istanbul Museum, Turkey; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota; Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, Florida; and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas. The artist lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
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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