Watch The Latest Digital Art Piece Running On NYC Fulton Center’s Digital Signage Network

July 12, 2018 by Dave Haynes

This is the latest digital art piece running at the busy Fulton Center Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan.

Commissioned by the MTA’s Arts & Design department, Skyyys is a video installation developed by interdisciplinary artist Dave Greber of Philadelphia. The idea behind Skyyys is playfully mimicking the constant stream of visual information that we all see daily.

In an MTA release, the work is described as remixing “recognizable, colorful kinetic objects into an entertaining and witty new universe of familiar objects such as balloons, bouncing balls and stuffed animals.”

“Dave’s fun and inventive digital work featuring objects often associated with childhood and play gives additional dynamism to the mixed use elements of Fulton Center — its myriad shops and this vital transportation hub,” says Sandra Bloodworth, director of MTA Arts & Design. “The energy and mixture of colors, stuff and patterns are simply joyful.”  

The videos air simultaneously for two minutes at the top of each hour on 52 digital screens throughout the Fulton Center complex and the Dey Street pedestrian tunnel that connects multiple New York City Transit lines to the World Trade Center PATH station. The Westfield Fulton Center network synchronizes 44 LCD video walls, totaling more than 1,200 square feet and nine locations of LED screens, totaling more than 2,100 square feet.

The media network plays in one and two-minute loops, offering news feeds, sports, weather, advertising, transit information and digital art. The MTA Arts & Design Digital Art program is presented with technical support from Westfield Properties and ANC Sports.

“The network at Fulton Center is a unique palate for new media artists, and the back end synchronization allows the content to be displayed as designed,” says Yaling Chen, Deputy Director and leader of the Digital Art team at MTA Arts & Design. “Dave worked with our team and our partners from Westfield Properties and ANC Sports and the outcome exceeded his expectations.”