Monthly Program from the Times Square Advertising Coalition and Times Square Arts

June 2013, every night from 11:57pm – midnight

(New York, N.Y.)  May 30, 2013 ––  A video created by New York City-based artist Neil Goldberg will be shown every night in June as part of a synchronized program on over fifteen of the largest digital screens in Times Square.   Goldberg’s work, Surfacing, will premiere just before midnight on June 1st and play throughout the month as part of the Midnight Moment, a presentation of the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts.  

Tourists and metro area residents have been raving about the late night, free attraction that is bringing creativity, energy, cutting-edge graphics, and digital art to the Crossroads of the World. In this month’s video, Surfacing stitches together images of passengers struggling to orient themselves as they emerge from the New York City subway into the commotion of the street.

Alan High, Chairman of the Times Square Advertising Coalition and President & General Manager of Clear Channel Outdoor Spectacolor & Mall Divisions, said:  “We’re excited to showcase a piece that represents the essence of New York City.  The experience of coming out of the subway and being overwhelmed by the choices and busyness of the city is a uniquely New York phenomenon that Neil Goldberg was able to capture in his video for the Midnight Moment.”

Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance, said: “This is a perfect film for New York City and Times Square. The artist was inspired by the vulnerability seen on the faces of commuters – capturing the shared look of perplexity and disorientation linking an otherwise wildly diverse selection of people. With one of the most highly trafficked subway stations in the world, Times Square viewers will be able to focus on these individual faces amidst thousands, magnified nightly on our brilliant screens.”

Neil Goldberg, featured artist, said: “Surfacing captures a very quiet, inward experience. I'm excited to see that fleeting moment rendered monumental on the towering screens above Times Square. And I love that what's happening in the video will mirror what's taking place on the street below — people searching, orienting themselves, continuing on.”

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 11:57pm 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 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 June 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). 

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 

About the Artist
Neil Goldberg's video, photographic and sculptural work documents the spaces and cadences of the everyday and overlooked. He has been exhibiting this work since 1992 at venues including The Museum of Modern Art (where it is part of the permanent collection); The New Museum of Contemporary Art; The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum; The Wexner Center for the Arts; The Jewish Museum; The Kitchen; NGBK Kunsthalle Berlin; Lothringer13 Kunsthalle Munich; Centro de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona; and Cristin Tierney Gallery.

In 2012, Goldberg's work was the subject of a critically acclaimed mid-career survey at the Museum of the City of New York, entitled "Stories the City Tells Itself."   The artist's work has been supported by fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Experimental Television Center, CEC ArtsLink, Yaddo, and the MacDowell Colony. www.neilgoldberg.com