October 1-31, every night from 11:57 pm–midnight

(New York, N.Y.) September 28, 2016 – In partnership with the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) as part of FIAF’s 2016 Crossing the Line Festival, Times Square Arts will highlight the human details that bring us together with Tim Etchells’ Eyes Looking, which will appear on Times Square’s electronic billboards from 11:57 p.m. to midnight every night in October. This project is a part of Midnight Moment, a monthly presentation by the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts.  

Simultaneously a dynamic poem, a video installation, and an ephemeral sculpture, Eyes Looking creates poetry through melting text. Words made from frozen letters melt slowly across the giant screens of Times Square, with simple, everyday phrases like “eyes looking” and “hearts beating” invoking the presence of the people who cross through Times Square, the human stories at the center of the city, and the small actions that bring us together. As Etchells’ phrases lose their clarity and dissolve, they ask visitors to freeze and contemplate their relation to the rhythms and counter-rhythms of the city.

Tim Etchells, Artist, said "I’m interested to create moments of thoughtfulness and playful encounter in a public setting; the work is public but private at the same time, trying to draw each person that encounters it into a space of intimate reflection."

Simon Dove, Co-Curator of the Crossing the Line Festival, said, “Tim has carefully considered how he can radically shift the mood in Times Square. Through the use of soft monochrome images and simple texts around human activity, the vast screens propose a powerful moment of quiet and reflection."

Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance, said, “Tim Etchells’ gorgeous and gently-shifting texts contrast marvelously with the insistence and aggression of Times Square's usual visual landscape.”

Sherry Dobbin, Times Square Arts Director, said, “Tim Etchells straddles the worlds of performance and visual art, which is helpful in viewing the Midnight Moment, where the audience are also performers who move about Times Square to capture the views on all heights and shapes and sizes of screens.”

Fred Rosenberg, President of the Times Square Advertising Coalition, said, “Times Square has always been a melting pot, where international meets local and cultures collide.  We’re excited to partner with international organizations like FIAF and Crossing the Line to share a video that showcases how we are all alike with messages of unity melting across our screens.”

The following digital screens are participating in the October 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, Sherwood Equities 1 Times Square, Superior Digital Displays Crossroads of the World, Triple Play on 7th Ave & The Waterfall on 42nd St

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 Elizabeth Peyton and Kristian Emdal; Jherek Bischoff; Beau Stanton; Saya Woolfalk; Jennifer Steinkamp; 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

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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 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.

Tim Etchells is an artist and writer based in the UK, and Artistic Director of award winning theater company Forced Entertainment. His work shifts between performance, visual art and fiction. http://timetchells.com/

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is New York’s premiere French cultural and language center. FIAF's mission is to create and offer New Yorkers innovative and unique programs in education and the arts that explore the evolving diversity and richness of French cultures. FIAF seeks to generate new ideas and promote cross cultural dialogue through partnerships and new platforms of expression. www.fiaf.org

Crossing the Line, now in its tenth year, is an annual citywide festival that engages international artists and New York City audiences in discovery and dialogue to re-imagine the world around us. The festival is produced by the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) in partnership with leading cultural institutions. This year’s edition of the festival takes place from September 22–November 3, 2016. For more information, visit www.crossingtheline.org

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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

For the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)’s Crossing the Line Festival:

John Wyszniewski
John@BlakeZidell.com

Natascha Bodemann
646.388.6677 | NBodemann@fiaf.org