“The Geometry of Ordinary Experience”
by Integrated Visions & John Ensor Parker
In Fall of 2016, artist team Integrated Visions was commissioned by the Ashkenazi Acquisition Corporation through Elkus Manfredi Architects to design and produce a large-scale public art installation inside of a newly renovated flagship retail space at 522 Fifth Ave in Manhattan. Integrated Visions brought on frequent collaborator John Ensor Parker (http://www.natureofenergy.com) to help in creating “The Geometry of Ordinary Experience”, a projection and light sculpture that fills the enormous space and takes advantage of the incredible sight lines from outside through the oversized glass windows. The massive installation consists of a total of 28 custom triangular projection surfaces and 65 frosted light tubes, supported by a series of steel structures. Spanning two floors and stretching 144’ down 44th St, as well as 60’ down 5th Ave, the piece is intended to be viewed from multiple angles along the sidewalks as viewers pass by.
The work utilizes a minimalist aesthetic design to create a sense of wonder – the frosted tubes and projection panels appear almost to float in space, as digital imagery and light create an unexpected experience for people who walk past. When viewed from the sidewalk through the oversized windows, the reflections of the city in the glass become part of the work as they blend with the light from the installation itself, creating an evolving abstraction inspired by the city that surrounds it. As the focal point of the installation, custom-built hanging projection surfaces made from plexiglass and coated with a special projection film extend throughout the space. The triangular surfaces, suspended in a way that creates multiple coordinated patterns when viewed from various angles, are illuminated by a Barco 20,000 lumen HDX-W20 projector and nine additional 3000 lumen HD projectors. The 65 light tubes interwoven into the projection surfaces were custom-created for the installation using SIRS RGB pixel tape, with a total of 5000 individual LED pixels and 66 universes of Artnet control. The entire installation is driven by four separate media servers all synced using SMPTE, three for video and one for lighting, allowing for perfect coordination of lighting and projection into a single artwork.
“The Geometry of Ordinary Experience” (2016) By Integrated Visions and John Ensor Parker
CONCEPT AND DESIGN: Michelle Penland Dodson (Integrated Visions) Bryan Dodson (Integrated Visions) John Ensor Parker
DEVELOPER: Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation
RESOURCE ARCHITECT: Elkus Manfredi Architects
PROJECT MANAGER AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Richard Chychota
LEAD FABRICATOR: Ryan Casey
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Bob Payne
FABRICATION AND PRODUCTION TEAM: Jim Dreitlein David Valdivia Marian Shen Elton Samuel Abraham Class Tina Sciortino Carl Zurhorst Steven Chychota Theresa Wilvert Roberto Pierson Seth Parker Jason Tschantré
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VENDORS: Wagner Media SIRS Electronics Inc. Wireless Sounds Mutual Hardware E&T plastics Ferguson
SOUNDTRACK: John Ensor Parker