Site-specific installation by United Visual Artists opens at A/D/O. “Spirit of the City“ explores the physical and emotional response individuals experience when navigating through urban environments.


Munich/New York. A/D/O, the creative space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn by MINI dedicated to exploring the future of design, is pleased to reveal “Spirit of the City“ – a site-specific installation by London-based United Visual Artists (UVA). Spirit of the City probes the physical and emotional response individuals experience when navigating urban environments.

The modular system of revolving mirrored columns showcases a dynamic composition of movement, light, shadow and reflection. The seemingly organic behavior is poetically linked to the dynamic activity of New York City. Spirit of the City was created exclusively for the outdoor courtyard at A/D/O. It will open to the public May 18, 2018 and will be on view through September 2nd.

“Our goal was to create a simple, yet transformative experience that metaphorically and physically reflects the surroundings of A/D/O and New York City at large,” says Matt Clark, Founder of UVA.

Rising over the visitor, each nine-foot column is intended to challenge personal perception while eliciting a visceral and electrifying reaction similar to the thrill one might experience when exploring a new city.

The motion of the columns serves as a metaphor for the underlying forces that keep cities in constant transformation. Their combined rotation is orchestrated to create different patterns of motion, articulating a number of moods that range from dormant to dynamic, playful or even turbulent. These states unfold during a 24-hour cycle that has been pre-programmed to reflect the daily activity of New York, based on selected data that reveal levels of human activity in the city, such as energy demand patterns or traffic flow. UVA aims to stir the visitor, moving through this installation, to a highly emotional and visceral reaction while alluding to deeper influences between people and the cities they live in.

The polished reflective surface of each column magnifies the movement of neighboring columns and recruits the surrounding environment – the sun, sky, and Greenpoint’s industrial setting – into the experience of the piece. As day turns to dusk, the piece takes on another personality, illuminated by sodium vapor lamps which reference the unique vibrancy of cities at night.

“We built A/D/O to help explore the future of design – because at MINI we believe that design can tip the scales towards a more humane world,” says Esther Bahne, Head of Brand Strategy and Business Innovation at MINI. “Spirit of the City presents an optimistic vision of a city that reflects and adapts to people’s feelings and desires. A city that energizes you. This is a vision we aim to contribute to with our products and initiatives such as A/D/O.”

“A/D/O was created not just as a platform for impactful design, but to spark a debate about the future and advocate for designers having a prominent role in decisions which affect us all,” says Nate Pinsley, Managing Director of A/D/O. “This piece, created with United Visuals Artists, will be complemented by events and activities throughout the summer and continues our research into visions of urban utopia.”

Matt Clark, Founder of UVA continues: “Imagination and curiosity—the qualities that make us human—flourish in New York City where the stark and intriguing contrast between the built environment and living ecosystem dominates individual observation and behavior. Ultimately, Spirit of the City intends to pose the question, do our activities define our urban landscapes or do our urban landscapes define us?”

The exhibit will represent the first significant showcase at A/D/O during NYCxDesign. Spirit of the City will be open to the public until September 2nd.

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About A/D/O.

Built for designers yet open to all, A/D/O provides a unique environment for creative work while also inviting the public into its 23,000 square-foot space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn — to explore the future of design through a range of installations, exhibitions and events.

At the heart of A/D/O is programming that intends to provoke and invigorate the creative practice of professional designers, convening pioneers from diverse backgrounds to spark debate and inspire relevant new work. The former warehouse features a membership-based workspace with extensive prototyping facilities, a free communal seating area, a design store and a restaurant by renowned culinary leaders Fredrik Berselius and Claus Meyer.

A/D/O was founded by MINI as part of the company’s own innovation practice and continued exploration of creative solutions that improve urban life. It is also the home of startup accelerator URBAN-X, founded by MINI and run in cooperation with Urban.us.

A/D/O

29 Norman Avenue

Greenpoint Brooklyn, NY 11222
www.a-d-o.com 

About United Visual Artists.
UVA (United Visual Artists) is a London-based art practice founded in 2003 by British artist Matt Clark. UVA’s broad body of work encompasses wall-based artwork, sculpture, large-scale site- specific installation and performative projects.

The practice examines our relationship with technology and the integrity of knowledge; creating artwork which often transcends the purely physical and questions the relativity of our experience. UVA has been commissioned worldwide by institutions including the Barbican Curve gallery, Manchester International Festival, Royal Academy, Serpentine Galleries, The Welcome Trust, Towner Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, YCAM, Japan. It has also had works acquired into the collections of the Fondation Cartier, France and MONA, Australia. UVA's work has been included in exhibitions with Blain|Southern and Riflemaker in the UK, as well as Bryce Wolkowitz in the US, Seoul Museum of Art, Korea and Power Station of Art, Shanghai. Permanent works are sited internationally in Toronto, Dubai, Philadelphia and London.

Additionally, the practice has an open and inclusive approach to collaboration, which has led to a diverse range of projects with artists like choreographer Benjamin Millepied and the Paris Opéra Ballet, filmmaker Adam Curtis and musicians Massive Attack, Battles and James Blake. Most recently UVA has collaborated with Christopher Bailey for his last fashion runway show at Burberry.