MIDNIGHT MOMENT TO SHOWCASE MCGINLEY’S VIDEO “VARÚД

Monthly Program is Organized and Supported by the Times Square Advertising Coalition in Partnership with Times Square Arts

July 2013, every night from 11:57 p.m. – midnight

(New York, N.Y.) July 2, 2013 –– Artist Ryan McGinley shares a moment of tranquility with New Yorkers and visitors amidst the bustling streets of Times Square with his video Varúð as part of July’s Midnight Moment, the synchronized program on over fifteen of the largest digital signs in Times Square.  McGinley’s work premiered just before midnight on July 1st and will play every night throughout July from 11:57 p.m. – midnight.  Midnight Moment is a presentation of the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts. This month's program is presented in partnership with Art Production Fund.     

The video documents the artist’s friend Jessica Tang as she blissfully skips through the streets of Manhattan in slow motion, leaving a trail of stardust in her wake. McGinley captures a free-spirited and barefoot Tang unaffected by her surroundings as she passes through the hectic city streets. The footage in the July Midnight Moment is from a video of the same name by the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, and released last year as part of their Valtari album project.

Ryan McGinley said: “I wanted to bring a childhood innocence to the streets through a character whose own light and wonder affect the world around her. I’m always interested in an atmosphere where dreams and reality mingle on equal terms.”

Alan High, Chairman of the Times Square Advertising Coalition and President & General Manager of Clear Channel Outdoor Spectacolor & Mall Divisions, said: “We’re thrilled to bring Ryan McGinley’s moment of tranquility to the video screens of Times Square. New Yorkers and visitors will surely pause from their busy evening schedule to embrace these three minutes of calm captured by McGinley."

"We are so pleased to be collaborating with the Times Square Alliance in bringing Ryan McGinley's ephemeral film to the heart of Times Square," said Art Production Fund Co-Founders Doreen Remen and Yvonne Force Villareal. "Ryan's work connects us to our inner youth and evokes a freedom of spirit that offers an enlightening break to the midtown bustle."

Sherry Dobbin, Public Art Director of the Times Square Alliance, said: “Ryan McGinley is a young contemporary artist whose work resonates with people world-wide. His film—with the carefree girl running around Manhattan trailing pixie dust—is the perfect anecdote to a hot, and  usually steamy, July in Times Square.”

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 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 11:57 p.m. with a "countdown" that signals the start of the three minute nightly presentation.  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);Björk; JR; and Yoko Ono. For more information on past projects, please visit www.TimesSquareNYC.org/MidnightMoment.

The following digital screens are participating in the July Midnight Moment: ABC Super Sign, American Eagle Times Square, Bank of America, CEMUSA, City Outdoor, Disney, JVC Screen, NASDAQ, Spectacolor HD129 / Times Square Museum & Visitor Center Marquee, ClearChannel HD128, Spectacolor HD127 / CNN Screen, Times Square Museum & Visitor Center, Viacom North & South (SL Green Realty) Thomson Reuters, and 7TS (7 Times Square). 

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. Guidelines for artist and designer participation in future programs are located on the Times Square website.

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

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 www.TimesSquareNYC.org/arts  for more information. Follow us on Twitter: @TSqArts

Ryan McGinley is a New York–based artist who was raised in New Jersey. After moving to the city in 1996, he began extensively photographing downtown culture. McGinley’s work is in numerous museum collections, including the Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has been the subject of monographic exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Kunsthalle in Vienna, MUSAC in Léon, Spain, and MoMA PS1 in New York City. He has had numerous solo gallery and museum exhibitions around the world in cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, London, Athens, Milan, and Berlin.  

Website: http://ryanmcginley.com/

Art Production Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art.  Recent projects include: “After Hours: Murals on the Bowery,” NYC, 2011; David Brooks, “Desert Rooftops,” NYC, 2011; Josephine Meckseper, “Manhattan Oil Project,” NYC, 2012; Kiki Smith, “Chorus,” NYC, 2012; Yoko Ono, “Imagine Peace Times Square,” NYC, 2012; Yvette Mattern, “Global Rainbow, After The Storm,” NYC, 2012; Ryan McGinley, “Taxi TV,” NYC, 2013; Tony Smith, “One-Two-Three,” NYC, 2013; "After Hours 2: Murals on the Bowery," NYC, 2013; Tracey Emin, "Roman Standard," NYC, 2013.  Please visit:   http://www.artproductionfund.org/