Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery.

Billboards in Times Square will explode with Chicago artist Takeshi Murata’s psychedelic colors this November as part of the Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery, a monthly program that transforms New York City’s iconic digital signs into cutting edge works of art. A presentation of the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts, Murata’s Melter 2 will be shown every night throughout the month of November from 11:57pm to midnight.
 
The November program is curated by Electronics Arts Intermix (EAI). In Melter 2 (2003), Takeshi Murata’s animations are like beautiful waves of color washing over the viewer. Melter 2comes from Murata’s early body of work consisting of rich, colorful, psychedelic, hand-drawn animation. The crisp colors and elegant morphing shapes are in stark contrast with the artist’s later “data mosh” works, which are based heavily upon digital video glitch, and the .avi format.
 
This nightly, free attraction brings creativity, energy, cutting-edge graphics, and digital art to the Crossroads of the World. When “Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery”premiered in May of 2012, it marked the first time sign operators surrounding Times Square joined together to offer coordinated creative content at a regularly scheduled time each and every day. The piece will run through out seven city blocks of Times Square every night counting down the three minutes to midnight.
 
“Our advertising partners are proud to be able to offer this month’s programming, helping all New Yorkers and visitors enjoy a short commercial break in the heart of Times Square during a trying time,” said Alan High, Chairman of the Times Square Advertising Coalition and president of Clear Channel Spectacolor and Clear Channel Malls.
 
“Times Square has always been a place for New Yorkers and visitors to gather in times of crisis, to reflect, connect to one another and draw energy from the unceasing pulse of city. During the month of November, as New Yorkers recover from the wake of this devastating storm, Times Square will once again provide a gathering spot and respite for those who can take a few moments before midnight to get lost inTakeshi Murata’s transportative visuals,” said Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance.
 
“As New York begins its recovery in the aftermath of this unprecedented storm, Times Square can serve as a vital public space in which New Yorkers and visitors may share in a free and communal experience of art,” said Lori Zippay, Executive Director, EAI. “EAI is pleased to collaborate with the Times Square Alliance to present Takeshi Murata’s extraordinary digital animation: three playful minutes of pure visual pleasure that also reflects the indomitable motion, exuberance and dynamism of the city itself.”
 
“Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery” is the largest coordinated effort in history by the sign operators in Times Square to display synchronized, cutting-edge creative content on billboards throughout Times Square every night, from 11:57pm to midnight.
 
The program, which premiered in May 2012, 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 signholders and artists. Creativity always has been at the forefront of the Times Square signs and their presence is now so integral to the identity of this iconic public space that they are required within zoning regulations. This level of signholders’ commitment to synchronize their daily programs to feature cutting-edge art throughout the year is unparalleled.
 
Each night, Times Square becomes a digital art gallery through dazzling visuals on select billboards. 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. Past artists featured in “Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery” include Robert Wilson; Seoungho Cho; Vicki DaSilva, Surabhi Saraf, and Elly Cho; Erika Janunger; and Bel Borba with Burt Sun and André Costantini. For more information on past projects, or to submit a proposal for a future program, please visit http://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-arts/moment/index.aspx.
 
November’s Times Square Moment features Takeshi Murata’s Melter 2, in partnership with Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI).
 
Watch the work here: http://youtu.be/N8BkAEDz0yw >