Click here to see the show!
NEW YORK CITY, November 9, 2017 – Empire State Realty Trust (NYSE: ESRT) today unveiled the crowning completion of its new Gensler-designed lobby at 250 West 57th Street. An 80’ by 8’ art installation in the form of a high definition LED screen covers nearly the entire lobby ceiling. The unique installation completes the transformation of the repositioned building’s lobby which also includes a new entrance canopy, street frontage, and new elevator cabs. The property systems were already fully modernized for the 21st-century.
The massive screen creates generative, customizable images and was composed by lighting artist Marc Brickman and award-winning video artist Lindsay Scoggins, whose work has been displayed at the Guggenheim, Frieze Art Show, and L.A. Art Show. Made up of 308 individual tiles with 6,662,656 individual pixels, the installation has endless capabilities. Each new 24-hour cycle follows a limitless visual evolution, comprised of daily material sourced from the internet. The individual compositions include abstract art, live news feeds, galaxy depictions, and extreme weather. Additionally, the screen is equipped with sound capabilities, allowing images and sound to blend to create an immersive experience, resulting in a live art gallery.
“The new lobby at 250 West 57th is another example of Empire State Realty Trust’s commitment to not only transform the look and feel of our buildings but to also improve the tenant experience,” said Ryan O. Kass, Senior Vice President, Leasing of ESRT. “The technology utilized for this screen ensures that the same image will never reveal itself more than once. It’s a true feat of ingenuity, which blends our total transformation of 250 West 57th Street’s lobby, and the building as a whole, into the best boutique office building on West 57th Street. This is what we do at ESRT; we reimagine and repurpose our properties for the 21st century.”
The uniqueness of the screen comes from behind-the-scenes algorithms that provide information in real-time. Online sources such as weather, hashtags, and trending topics allow the video artwork’s appearance to adjust daily. For example, if the screen is displaying sunrise, the algorithms will correspond that image with real-time weather in New York City. As this input changes daily, the look of the video artwork will reflect those changes.
“My ongoing relationship with Empire State Realty Trust continues to evolve as we introduce video art to the building and the tenant experience,” said Marc Brickman. “This fine art installation on the lobby ceiling at 250 West 57th is an exploration of modern technology that allows us to create a living work of art.”
In addition to the artwork created by Lindsay Scoggins and Marc Brickman and produced by Tactical Manoeuvre, other artists will be invited to represent their artwork on the screen. A digital gallery plaque will be installed in the lobby so tenants and visitors can identify the represented artist’s information throughout the day.
About Empire State Realty Trust
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT), a leading real estate investment trust (REIT), owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the world’s most famous building. Headquartered in New York, New York, the Company’s office and retail portfolio covers 10.1 million rentable square feet, as of September 30, 2017, consisting of 9.4 million rentable square feet in 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and two in Westchester County, New York; and approximately 700,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio.
Forward-Looking Statements
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