TIMES SQUARE’S MIDNIGHT MOMENT GOES GLOBAL
Times Square Arts and Streaming Museum Bring Times Square Digital Gallery to Screens on 7 Continents in 2013
Björk’s Mutual Core Launches on Digital Screens in Europe, Asia, Antarctica, Australia, Africa, and South America
(July 1, 2013, NEW YORK)— Midnight Moment, 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, is going global. For the first time, digital screens in Europe, Antarctica, Australia, Africa, South America, and Asia will feature special content that was shown as a part of the Midnight Moment, a program of the Times Square Advertising Coalition and Times Square Arts. To make this possible, Times Square Arts, the public art program for the Times Square Alliance, has partnered with Streaming Museum.
The first video of this expanded program to be shown globally is a special version of internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Björk’s Mutual Core, which originally appeared in Times Square during the March 2013 Midnight Moment to launch Streaming Museum’s globally touring Nordic Outbreak exhibition. Created in collaboration with director Andrew Thomas Huang, the video shows the forces of nature exploding across a futuristic landscape where volcanoes erupt from a desert floor, as a snowstorm transforms the environment, and anthropomorphic rocks come to life orbiting around a goddess of nature. Also on the tour is a film by David Bates, Jr. that captures the experience of seeing Bjork in Mutual Core across the synchronized electronic billboards in Times Square’s Midnight Moment.
Streaming Museum’s contemporary-themed exhibitions of international multi-media arts, innovative ideas, and related programs reach a global audience via mobile devices, a network of big screens worldwide, and at cultural, corporate and public centers.
The United Kingdom, courtesy of the BBC, will have the largest activation with 21 screens across the country, while the most remote location to show the film is the only cinema in Antarctica. There will be rooftop parties and large scale projections in public spaces in the Maboneng Precinct of Johannesburg, South Africa. The video content is shown 45 times daily at Cocor Media Channel, the largest LED screen in Europe; and will be viewed throughout the JM Network, Hong Kong’s largest LED advertising display network. In Australia, Bjork’s Midnight Moment can be seen at Federation Square, Melbourne and has been a part of International Symposium of Electronic Art in Sydney. The Art Center of Kvinesdal, Norway with its spectacular view of a fjord, Sao Paulo, Brazil in collaboration with University of Sao Paulo, and the annual film festival in the ancient town of Split, Croatia, are among the collaborating locations, with others to be announced at a later date.
Sherry Dobbin, Public Art Director of the Times Square Alliance, said: “New media and new technology have radically expanded the ‘public’ in public art – now an artwork can reach an audience across seven continents simultaneously. We’re excited to be behind this innovation, bringing the Crossroads of the World to the rest of the globe, and we are grateful to the Times Square Advertising Coalition for being the epicenter of this leading technology.”
Nina Colosi, Founder and Creative Director of Streaming Museum, said: “In the music video Mutual Core directed by Andrew Thomas Huang, Björk is organically part of nature and universe. The human connection to nature is a theme that underpins most of her artistic output. It’s particularly meaningful to bring Björk’s vision to 7 continents because of its relevance to all cultures.”
“I’m excited to see the Midnight Moment expand beyond Times Square to become a truly worldwide event. The Times Square Advertising Coalition is honored to participate and showcase these gifted and remarkable artists,” said Alan High, Chairman of the Times Square Advertising Coalition and President & General Manager of Clear Channel Outdoor Spectacolor & Mall Divisions.
“We are delighted to be invited by Times Square Alliance and Streaming Museum to participate in this meaningful global collaboration. It has always been our objective to present creative content alongside commercials to enrich the viewing experience of the audience of our LED billboard network.” said Daniel Wong, Head of JM Network at Join Merit Media Holdings LTD, Hong Kong.
Anita Bhalla, Editor of Public Space Broadcasting for the BBC, said: “We are very excited to be part of this international collaboration. The public service Big Screens based in cities across the UK are a unique way of reaching out of home audiences. Last year the screens were used to bring the Olympics and Paralympics to millions of people, we now look forward to bringing Midnight Moment to our audience.”
Carmen Andrei, CEO, Cocor MediaChannel, Bucharest, Romania said: “We are very excited about the project especially since Björk has thousands of fans in Romania and we appreciate very much her messages towards humanity, she’s a great person.”
Directed by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Andrew Thomas Huang, Mutual Core is part of Björk’s Biophilia Series, combining music with technological innovation and exploring themes of science and nature. The original version of the video was created by MOCAtv for the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.
Following is a list of where the content will be shown, along with additional information:
Africa:
Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg, South Africa DATE: August 1, 7-10pm. Corner Fox Street and Kruger Street, projections in various locations in the Maboneng Precinct, in partnership with The Trinity Session and The Maboneng Precinct
Streaming Museum Founding Partner and Co-producer Marcus Neustetter and his collaborator Stephen Hobbs at The Trinity Session will produce an art party with large-scale projections of Bjork’s Midnight Moment in the Johannesburg arts precinct Maboneng (Place of Light) where large-scale art projections and events are taking place. The Trinity Session is instrumental in the rejuvenation of the inner city of Johannesburg with public art projects, artists’ residencies and bringing the public together on regular occasions in open urban spaces and large abandoned warehouse/factories. Their local partnership extends to the City of Johannesburg Arts Culture and Heritage, The Johannesburg Development Agency and private developments such as the Maboneng precinct.
Antarctica:
The Cinema at Carlini Scientific Base of Argentina, Antarctica DATES: Saturdays in September. Time dependent on weather conditions
The Cinema at Carlini (formerly, Jubany) Scientific Base of Argentina in Antarctica, co- founded with INCAA (National Institute of Argentinean Cinematography) is the only cinema in Antarctica. Streaming Museum activities in Antarctica are directed by artist Andrea Juan, a founding partner of Streaming Museum and Head of Cultural Projects for National Antarctic Affairs of Argentina—an international artists’ residency program. The Cinema was among the museum’s launch locations on January 29, 2008, when locations on seven continents simultaneously exhibited Good Morning Mr. Orwell by Nam June Paik. streamingmuseum.org/antarctica
Asia:
The largest LED screen network in Hong Kong and Macau.
Australia:
The Concourse, Urbanscreens TV, Sydney DATES: June 7 through July 28. Schedule and information here: theconcourse.com.au/content/urban-screen
Björk’s Mutual Core video was part of the ISEA 2013 International Symposium of Electronic Art (June 7–16) and continues on The Concourse, Streaming Museum’s partnering screen, through July 28.
Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia DATES: June 8 through July 31, 2013. Daily schedule here: fedsquare.com/events/fedtv
Fed Square’s Creative Program cultivates unique artistic relationships, a diversity of new, site-specific work throughout the year, and various forums for public engagement with artists. The priority is to work with artists and creatives who can create provocative work that responds very specifically to the unique physical and social public environment that is Federation Square. This includes commissioning new work, partnering with artists to present existing projects in exciting new ways, and forming residencies with key, identified creative organizations for longer-term and durational results. http://streamingmuseum.org/australia
Europe:
BBC Big Screens, 21 Locations throughout the United Kingdom DATES: Sunday, July 7 at 12:30pm; Monday, July 8 to Friday, July 12 at 12pm and 5pm, and ongoing through September
The BBC Big Screens are a partnership of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), city councils, some universities and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. There are currently Big Screens across the UK, in Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Derry, Dover, Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, two screens in London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Norwich, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Salford, Swansea, and Swindon. They are located in areas in city centers, often with good footfall and event space. The screens run with sound (muted overnight) and present BBC news, weather, and sport information, national, international, and local, as well as community information and films, a range of digital film work and major televised programs, such as Wimbledon coverage, Last Night of the Proms (summer classical music concert series and events), and the Olympics. Big Screens also support national and local events, from live music to relays from other locations and interactive game playing. streamingmuseum.org/united-kingdom
Utsikten Kunstsenter, Utsikten, 4480 Kvinesdal, Norway DATES: June 17–August 5, 2013 (continuous)
Utsikten Kunstsenter is located in a small village in the south of Norway with a unique view of the fjord. Utsikten Kunstsenter is the newest art arena in the south region of Norway. The art center’s dedication to art and technology has brought to the region a unique selection of contemporary art. Utsikten Kunstsenter is connected to Utsikten Hotell, and has its own art channel that can be viewed on the TVs in the hotel. Visitors can also view the art programs in the public projection area in the entrance hall to the art center and hotel. Utsikten Kunstsenter is generously supported by Norwegian Art Council. Artistic Director, Torill Haugen.
Cocor MediaChannel, Bucharest, Romania DATES: June 25–July 24, multiple day and evening times Can be viewed live on webcam: cocormediachannel.ro
Cocor Luxury Store, located in downtown Bucharest, is the first luxury department store in Eastern Europe. Cocor (“Crane” English translation) has a spectacular media façade, thus linking it to such notable city landmarks as Times Square and Piccadilly Circus. Cocor Luxury Store’s impressive 3,300 square meters digital display system designed and manufactured by Daktronics is the largest spectacular installation in Europe. http://streamingmuseum.org/romania
18th Split Film Festival / International Festival of New Film, Split, Croatia DATES: September 14 to September 21, 2013. Schedule and location TBD
Streaming Museum presents exhibitions at this annual festival. The Björk in Times Square video will be projected onto the façade of an historic landmark. Split Film Festival / International Festival of New Film is the oldest (founded 1996) and in many ways the most important international annual film/media manifestations in Croatia. The festival takes place every September in Split, an ancient town located on the Adriatic Coast of Croatia. From its very beginning, the festival has been promoting all innovative, personal, experimental, radical, and subversive work (film, video, and new media) of all genres, styles, and lengths, preferably from outside the mainstream, whether involving traditional film techniques or the latest technology of electronic digital image. The screenings take place in several cinemas in the old section (”downtown”) of Split: Cinema Karaman, Cinemateque Zlatna Vrata, and Cinema Central. The main festival location is “Dom mladezi.”
South America:
Espaço Cultural Tendal da Lapa, São Paulo, Brazil DATES: August 10 – outdoor and indoor projections at 5:30pm and 7 pm; and August 13 to September 13 – Cineclube at the Tendal da Lapa at 12 and 6pm daily, including Nordic Outbreak selections
Produced in collaboration with the University of São Paulo, Colabor Research Center for Digital Media, PGEHA, Cine Galapão, Pulso Filmes, Programa Vocacional and Secretaria Municipal de Cultura de São Paulo
###
About Midnight Moment
Midnight Moment 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 for 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 3 minute nightly presentation. Content changes monthly; selected works are announced in the weeks preceding the start of a new show as are the exact signs participating in that month’s selection. In addition to Björk, past artists featured in the program include 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; Brian Gonzalez (aka Taxiplasm); JR; Neil Goldberg; and Yoko Ono. For more information on past projects, please visit TimesSquareNYC.org/MidnightMoment.
Times Square Arts, the public arts program of the Times Square Alliance, presents leading contemporary art and performances in multiple forms and media to more than 400,000 daily visitors to New York City’s Times Square, making it one of the highest profile public arts programs in the United States. Since its inception, Times Square Arts has featured works by a diverse group of more than five dozen prominent and emerging artists. Working in partnership with cultural institutions and festivals, the program is further supported by Rockefeller Brothers Fund, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and partner institutions. Visit TimesSquareNYC.org/arts for more information.
Streaming Museum launched its inaugural exhibition simultaneously on public screens on 7 continents and at streamingmuseum.org, on January 29, 2008, as the Internet and mobile technology were expanding rapidly. Since then, the museum has reached millions of people in over 55 locations around the world with contemporary-themed exhibitions featuring the work of international visual and performing artists and visionary creators. The museum also has a history of producing and presenting exhibitions and public programs with international curators, and cultural, educational and corporate centers. In a world populated by seven billion + people with seven thousand languages spoken, mobile devices and urban screens where millions pass by each day, serve as platforms for presenting image and sound that, acting as “contemporary hieroglyphs’, enable communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Streaming Museum has presented exhibitions on public screens and exhibition venues at the following locations, among others: Antarctica, New York City, San Jose, Seoul, Tomorrow City, Athens, Johannesburg, Prague, Dubai, Tenerife, Split, Melbourne, Bucharest, the BBC Big Screens in cities throughout the UK, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Milan, and others. Every exhibition may also be viewed on StreamingMuseum.org.
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. timessquareadcoalition.org.
PRESS CONTACT Gia Storms, Times Square Alliance 212.452.5205 | 917.626.6757 | gstorms@TimesSquareNYC.org Daniela Stigh, Rubenstein Communications 212.843.8269 | dstigh@rubenstein.com