Rockefeller Center, known for its large permanent art collection of some of the world’s most recognized sculptures and murals, and its iconic public art displays, will for the first time since 1978 add a permanent art commission to its collection: Studio Drift’s Amplitude. Amplitude will be Studio Drift’s first public permanent commission in the United States.
AMPLITUDE, by Amsterdam-based Studio Drift, presented by Pace Gallery, evokes “In 20 Steps,” first exhibited at the 2015 Venice Art Biennale. It is part of Rockefeller Center owner’s Tishman Speyer’s program to reimagine the commercial office building lobby and fill it with award-winning art, furniture and music — creating at welcoming and enveloping atmosphere that encourages a heightened sense of interaction between people.
This installation marks the first commission of permanent art at the Center since Michio Ihara’s commission for 45 Rockefeller Plaza in 1978.
Forty glass bars are arranged in a bird-like shape and suspended from the ceiling so that their brass-tipped ends meet. This connection point acts as a pivot for each of the pairs, with invisible plastic wire creating the illusion of them hanging in space. The wires are attached to an electronic system that lengthens and shortens them to create an up and down movement, like bird wings slowly flapping.
Amplitude’s choreography is programmed specifically to the Rockefeller Center location to bring the piece to life with an accompanying original score currently in development. It is a very authentic placement: Sound is very important to the One Rockefeller Plaza lobby, from the original score music being played in lobby, to Newsstand Studios, a new podcast studio located in an original newsstand space, to a Cuckoo-clock from 1933.
More about Amplitude:
The spatial kinetic installation Amplitude, by Studio Drift, is a tribute to the human desire to be able to fly, despite the force of gravity and the poetry of persistence in the face of adversity.
SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS
Studio Drift take inspiration from the natural world to create an environment that connects the people within it, transforming the static space into a field of life and movement. Upon entering the building, the artwork creates an instantly intriguing area to convene and engage people in a universal sensibility. A group of moving ‘birds’ forms a continuous swathe of dynamic rhythm throughout the atrium. Each ‘bird’ moves up and down at a pace that reflects its natural amplitude by bringing its internal elements in and out of balance. The movement of each component, together with the reflection of the light on the glass tubes, provide a striking experience. Echoing the building’s architectural qualities of brightness, airiness and openness, Amplitude breaks down the boundary between exterior and interior.
Movement is created through the shifting of balance, be it on a cellular or cosmic scale. The infinity of energy that we see in nature, for example in the endless waves of the sea or in the swarming of birds in the sky, inspires a sense of connectedness and unity; it makes us feel part of a bigger whole. These experiences are also soothing and cathartic because they are felt on an emotional and sensorial level, rather than on an intellectual one. By creating an artwork that replicates this type of universal movement, Studio Drift seek to provoke the same subconscious effect in settings beyond the natural world, eliciting a sense of wonder and poetry within the built environment.
The movement is smooth and slow. Whether the choreography is synchronized or not, the viewer is transported into a contemplative state. The artwork communicates an image that is immediately familiar to everyone on an instinctive level: our relentless desire to fly despite the force of gravity. The work creates a feeling of unity and recognition. A language that can speak to everyone. Each element is a separate entity and performs its own movement, but all together the elements behave as a collective. In this way, Amplitude also reinforces the idea of individual trajectory within a wider community.
About Tishman Speyer
Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and investment manager of first-class real estate in 28 key markets across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. We develop, build and manage premier office, residential and retail spaces for industry-leading tenants, as well as state-of-the-art life science centers through our Breakthrough Properties venture. With global vision, on-the-ground expertise and a personalized approach, we are unparalleled in our ability to foster innovation, quickly adapt to global and local trends and proactively anticipate our customers’ evolving needs. By focusing on health and wellness, enlightened placemaking and customer-focused initiatives such as our tenant amenities platform, ZO., and our flexible space and co-working brand, Studio, we tend not just to our physical buildings, but to the people who inhabit them on a daily basis. Since our inception in 1978, Tishman Speyer has acquired, developed, and operated 453 properties, totaling 210 million square feet, with a combined value of approximately $113 billion (U.S.). Our current portfolio includes such iconic assets as Rockefeller Center in New York City, The Springs in Shanghai, TaunusTurm in Frankfurt and the Mission Rock neighborhood currently being realized in San Francisco.
