May 1-31, every night from 11:57pm-midnight
(New York, N.Y.) April 24, 2017 – In partnership with Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and The Municipal Art Society of New York, Times Square Arts presents artist Joshua Frankel’s I LIVE HERE, Animation from “A Marvelous Order” on Times Square’s electronic billboards from 11:57 p.m. 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.
In the mid-20th century, urban theorist and activist Jane Jacobs took on Robert Moses, the Master Builder behind most of New York City’s bridges, highways, housing projects, parks, zoos and public swimming pools, in a battle over the fate of lower Manhattan and New York City as a whole – one that is still relevant today. Joshua Frankel brings that battle to visual life with animation, creating a collage of photographs and film footage, computer-generated imagery, libretto fragments, and blueprints for Moses’ proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway to illustrate the epic structures, millions of people, grassroots protest, and abstract urban theories involved in the conflict. Excerpted from the forthcoming multimedia opera A Marvelous Order, I LIVE HERE travels through the city, speeding by the buildings that would have been demolished by the Lower Manhattan Expressway, watching the infinite drips of air conditioners or the growth of shadows across a street, and unfurling change like rolls of sod across empty spaces. The result examines preservation, “progress,” and the very human conflict that grew out of themes that are right at home in Times Square.
A Marvelous Order is being composed by Judd Greenstein with direction and animation design by Joshua Frankel and a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith. An excerpt of A Marvelous Order will be performed at Fulton Center on June 15, 17, and 18 as part of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s River To River Festival.
Joshua Frankel, Artist, said “I grew up three blocks west of Times Square. I walked these blocks on my way home from school, and later I worked here. Our city is always changing, and whatever dramatic metamorphosis Times Square undergoes seems to caricature what the city is going through. As a young man, the decisions and decision-makers affecting seismic changes to my neighborhood seemed invisible. The sod rolls seemed to unspool on their accord. That youthful perception is part of the spark behind my artistic exploration of Moses, Jacobs and the human actions that affect the shape of our environment.”
Andrew D. Hamingson, President of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, said "Lower Manhattan Cultural Council is thrilled that A MARVELOUS ORDER, which we will present excerpts of in the River To River Festival in June, will be on those amazing Times Square video boards in May. There is no better way to honor Jane Jacobs during her celebratory month. LMCC couldn't be prouder of Josh, Judd, Will and Tracy for this groundbreaking opera about the people that make New York City pulse with electric energy."
Elizabeth Goldstein, President of The Municipal Art Society of New York, said, “In Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs, Joshua Frankel found a rivalry truly worthy of opera. We can think of no better stage for this grand drama than the Midnight Moment in Times Square. MAS is proud to partner with Times Square Arts on this installation, a nightly reminder of the character that our city nearly lost to the Lower Manhattan Expressway.”
Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance, said, “Jane Jacobs thinking not only saved part of the city in the past, but also shapes policy and practice today. Now, one of her most notable fights comes to our screens, displaying the tensions that grow out of redevelopment in a neighborhood that has its share of planning missteps.”
Debra Simon, Times Square Arts Director, said, “Joshua Frankel’s animated collages use modern techniques to represent history, not depicting precisely what happened during specific events but evoking how they felt.”
Fred Rosenberg, President of the Times Square Advertising Coalition, said, "The Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts is thrilled that Joshua Frankel's I LIVE HERE will be a part of Midnight Moment. An iconic destination, Times Square has always played a major role in New York City history and Frankel's multimedia piece is a story about New York City and people who grow with the city."
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, CEMUSA, City Outdoor, Clear Channel Spectacolor HD127/CNN, Clear Channel Spectacolor HD128, Disney Store Spectacular, Microsoft Cube and Welcome Center Live Tiles, Morgan Stanley, Outfront Media 1515 Broadway/ Viacom North & South, Sherwood Equities 1 Times Square, SILVERCAST Digital Spectacular - 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 world’s largest, longest-running digital art exhibition, synchronized on electronic billboards throughout Times Square nightly from 11:57pm to Midnight. Presented by the Times Square Advertising Coalition and curated by Times Square Arts since 2012, it has an estimated annual viewership of 2.5 million.
Past artists featured in the program include Naoko Tosa; Matteo Zamagni; Alex Da Corte; Pipilotti Rist; Tal Yarden; Emilio Perez; Tim Etchells; 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.
Joshua Frankel
Joshua Frankel is a director, animator and visual artist. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen, New York City in a building filled with musicians, actors and dancers, and spent most of his youth listening to hip-hop and trying not to let anyone take his lunch money. His work has been presented by institutions including BAM, the Library of Congress, the London Institute of Contemporary Art, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the New Museum, the Annecy International Festival of Animation and the UN World Urban Forum. Frankel has also created over twelve thousand square feet of public murals in collaboration with his wife, artist Eve Biddle. For more information, visit joshuafrankel.net and amarvelousorder.com. Follow on Twitter at @frankelfrankel and @amarvelousorder and Instagram at @joshuafrankel or @amarvelousorder
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Since its founding in 1973, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) has been dedicated to empowering artists and enhancing the cultural vibrancy of New York City through a broad range of platforms and initiatives, all based on the belief that artists are an inspirational and catalyzing force within any community.
In 2017, LMCC will award over $650,000 in grants; place 100 individuals and arts groups in studio residency programs; offer free professional development workshops and programs designed to help artists enhance the sustainability of their careers; and present over 140 days of free cultural experiences for the public to enjoy, including its flagship River To River Festival, Open Studios with artist talks and work-in-process showings, Arts East River Waterfront programs, and exhibitions & installations in LMCC’s Arts Center at Governors Island and other locations.
LMCC’s robust network of partners in the public and private sectors combined with its commitment to investing in individual artists and small arts groups and its integrated approach to fostering local neighborhood efforts is all directed toward sparking public thought and imagination and inspiring personal attachment to—and investment in—NYC’s communities.
The Municipal Art Society of New York
For nearly 125 years, The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) has worked to educate and inspire New Yorkers to engage in the betterment of our city. Through three core initiatives, MAS protects New York’s legacy spaces, encourages thoughtful planning and urban design, and fosters complete neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information, visit www.mas.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