Jakob Steensen's Terratic Animism Brings A Forest To Life On Screens Of Times Square

In partnership with BRIC, Times Square Arts presents artist Jakob Steensen's Terratic Animism on Times Square's electronic billboards from 11:57 p.m. to midnight every night in November. This project is a part of Midnight Moment, a monthly presentation by The Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts.

Inspired by the 1939 The New York Times article "The World of Tomorrow as it appeared under the Snow of Yesterday" and its black-and-white photographs of the snow-covered exhibits from the 1939 New York World's Fair, Terratic Animism takes Times Square's visitors on a digitally simulated journey through a futuristic wintry forest. Jakob Steensen mixes realities, combining virtual recreations of a forest with screens showing recorded footage of Steensen's performative explorations through derelict energy structures. The result blurs the boundaries of space and time, envisioning a future dystopian view of objects created to imagine a utopian future, displaying screens within screens, and putting viewers in the center of the forest as it surrounds them each night on the iconic electronic billboards of Times Square.

Jakob Steensen, Artist, said, "In my work I explore past and present imaginations of landscapes, so for the Midnight Moment I researched historical ecology and utopian-themed infrastructures in NYC. I am excited to present a special version of my project Terratic Animism that I made to convert Times Square into a virtual simulation of a futuristic winter forest, where structures from the utopian-themed World's Fairs of the city's past are found and covered in snow."

Jenny Gerow, Assistant Curator at BRIC, said, "We're thrilled that Terratic Animism, work that Jakob Kudsk Steensen developed while in residence at BRIC, will now be exhibited at such a grand scale where it will be seen by such a broad public. BRIC is proud to have contributed to the development of this piece of work."

Debra Simon, Times Square Arts Director, said, "Terratic Animism takes viewers on a journey through a futuristic wintry forest and alters their experience of Times Square."

Fred Rosenberg, President of the Times Square Advertising Coalition, and Harry Coghlan, Chairman of the Times Square Advertising Coalition, said,"The World's Fair provided an outlet for visitors from around the world to showcase their cultures, so what better place to share a globally-inspired video than the Crossroads of the World. Jakob Steensen's re-imagination of New York World's Fair and New York City's landscape will certainly immerse viewers and transport them from the concrete jungle to a dream-like winter wonderland."

The following digital screens are participating in the November Midnight Moment:

ABC SuperSign, American Eagle Times Square, Bank of America, Branded Cities 7 Times Square, Branded Cities NASDAQ Tower Times Square, Branded Cities Thomson Reuters, CEMUSA, City Outdoor, Clear Channel Spectacolor HD127, Clear Channel Spectacolor HD128, Disney Store Spectacular, Microsoft Cube and Welcome Center Live Tiles, Morgan Stanley, Outfront Media 1515 Broadway/ Viacom North & South, SILVERCAST Digital Spectacular - Times Square, Superior Digital Displays Crossroads of the World, Triple Play on 7th Ave & The Waterfall on 42nd St.

About Midnight Moment

Midnight Moment is the world's largest, longest-running digital art exhibition, synchronized on electronic billboards throughout Times Square nightly from 11:57pm to Midnight. Presented by the Times Square Advertising Coalition and curated by Times Square Arts since 2012, it has an estimated annual viewership of 2.5 million.

Past artists featured in the program include Sophie Calle; Ben Lebovitz; MSHR; Sun Xun; Alex Prager; Joshua Frankel; Naoko Tosa; Matteo Zamagni; Alex Da Corte; Pipilotti Rist; Tal Yarden; Emilio Perez; Tim Etchells; Elizabeth Peyton and Kristian Emdal; Jherek Bischoff; Beau Stanton; Saya Woolfalk; Jennifer Steinkamp; Soundwalk Collective; Lorna Mills; Peter Fischli and David Weiss; Laurie Anderson; Antony Nagelmann; Jesper Just; Shahzia Sikander; Rashaad Newsome; Osgemeos; Eric Dyer; Richard Garet; Andy Warhol; Peggy Ahwesh; Marco Brambilla; Rafaël Rozendaal; Sebastian Errazuriz; Charles Atlas and Antony; Noah Hutton; Ryoji Ikeda; Daniel Canogar; Alfredo Jaar; Isaac Julien; 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; Zach Nader; BrIan Gonzalez (aka Taxiplasm); Björk; JR; Ryan McGinley; Jack Goldstein; Nature Theater of Oklahoma; Ezra Wube; Laleh Khorramian; Brian Dailey; Leslie Thornton; and Yoko Ono. For more information on past projects, please visit: http://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-arts/projects/midnight-moment/index.aspx

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. Follow TSAC on twitter at @TSACNYC.

Times Square Arts, the public art program of the Times Square Alliance, collaborates with contemporary artists and cultural institutions to experiment and engage with one of the world's most iconic urban places. Through the Square's electronic billboards, public plazas, vacant areas and popular venues, and the Alliance's own online landscape, Times Square Arts invites leading contemporary creators to help the public see Times Square in new ways. Times Square has always been a place of risk, innovation and creativity, and the Arts Program ensures these qualities remain central to the district's unique identity. Generous support of Times Square Arts is provided by the. New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Visit http://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-arts/index.aspx for more information. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @TSqArts.

Jakob Kudsk Steensen is a Danish artist based in NYC. Steensen is concerned with how technology influences how we perceive nature and imagine future landscapes. He develops interactive digital simulations and virtual reality pieces by combining satellite imagery with photographic 3D techniques, cartographic research and performances. Steensen often collaborates with climate oriented NGO's, scientists and art residencies to develop his work. He has exhibited at Carnegie Museum of Art, BRIC, NY Media Center, The NY Moving Image Fair and at MAXXI in Rome.

His work has recently been featured in The Art Newspaper, Artnet, VICE, Hyperallergic, ARTREPORT and in Spike Art Quaterly. He has received awards and support from The Danish Arts Council, as well as from the residencies AADK, BRIC, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art and Mana Contemporary. www.jakobsteensen.com

BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. They present and incubate work by artists and media-makers who reflect the diversity that surrounds us. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences.

BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables us to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity. Learn more at BRICartsmedia.org.