A free public screening is set to take place this month across three Jumbotron monitors in Times Square of the nine winning art videos from the Babelgum Metropolis Art Prize, an international search for the best and edgiest artists sponsored by Babelgum, the independent web and mobile content provider.
The screening will be kicked off by Isabella Rossellini, the actress/video artist who served as head judge for the contest, who will be seated in an antique electric chair to also herald the premiere of “Send Me to the ‘Lectric Chair,” an art video short co-directed by the actress and Guy Maddin. The event is the latest innovative effort by the Times Square Alliance to bring cutting-edge art to the people of New York.
It will take place at Times Square at Duffy Square, 47th and Broadway adjacent to TKTS Booth on 17th December from 7-8pm.
Screens featuring the art videos include Fox News Corp (43rd St. and Broadway), MTV (Broadway between 46th and 47th Sts.) and Clear Channel/CNN (47th St. and 7th Ave).
Attendees will include contest judges Isabella Rossellini, Lee Wells and Cedar Lewisohn; Laurence Billiet, Publisher, Metropolis Babelgum channel, Ali Hossaini, event producer, along with three grand prize winners and local NYC competitors (to be announced December 14).
Launched in September 2009, the Babelgum Metropolis Art Prize sought videos, of no more than five minutes in length, representing the work of the best and edgiest artists working in any medium, from performance art, painting and photography to sculpture, installation and new media.
Over 450 individual entries from five continents were received and are available for viewing at the contest website, www.babelgum.com/metropolisartprize.
The “The Metropolis Grand Art Prize ($20,000 grand prize)” and “The Best Street Art Video ($5,000 grand prize)” were determined by an illustrious judging panel led by iconic art-house actress and video artist Isabella Rossellini, and including Lee Wells, the Curator-at-Large for the SCOPE Art Fair and Co-founding Director of the video art archive Perpetual Art Machine and Cedar Lewisohn, Curator of the Tate Modern gallery’s groundbreaking Street Art (2008) exhibition. Babelgum’s online and mobile community voted to determine “The Audience Award ($5,000 grand prize).” The Prize is presented in association with SCOPE International Contemporary Art Show, Perpetual Art Machine and the Times Square Alliance.
