Two new art shows have opened or are about to open on the Upper West Side.
The first, which opened today and closes October 19, is a photo show at the West Side Arts Coalition in the Broadway median at 96th street. The info card is at the bottom of this post.
The second exhibition is a digital image called Solar Reserve that will be displayed on an LED screen placed in Josie Robertson Plaza, the central plaza at Lincoln Center. It goes live on October 3 (Friday) and will stick around until December 1. The display will feature a field of solar panels in Nevada and the image will apparently move as the sun moves.
“At the center of this dazzling virtual world is a tower surrounded by 10,000 mirrors that adjust their positions in real time according to the location of the sun and reflect light upon the tower to generate electricity.
This hyper-realistic simulation is created with a team of programmers using a sophisticated video game engine that situates the sun, moon, and stars as they would appear at the actual Nevada site over the course of a year. As this virtual world rotates on the earth’s axis throughout a 24-hour day, the perspective of the viewer gradually shifts from ground level to satellite view every 60 minutes, so that no view is precisely the same at any point during the course of the exhibition.”
Here’s the card for the photo show (click to enlarge):
Huh. Not getting the appeal of Solar Reserve. I hate to give a thumbs down on any public art – I love public art. This big gawky overblown jumbotron just blocks the beautiful view of the fountain at Lincoln Center.
Not to mention… I wonder how much power it’s consuming? Maybe this massive tv show of Nevada panels is David Koch’s subtle thumb-in-the-eye to all the climate change marchers from a couple weeks back.