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.

#FutureOfDesign #UVAatADO #MINI #SpiritOfTheCity #ADONYC #UnitedVisualArtists

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.