New York’s Time Square is one of the busiest and most chaotic places imaginable, the thousands of people passing through Manhattan and the illuminated billboards have always inspired fantasies of futuristic worlds. The impression is that of a place that never finds peace, that never stops even at night, with the advertisements constantly running. Artist Krista Kim has found a way to stop time in Time Square, and will do so every night for the entire month of February, from 11:57 pm to midnight, thanks to her work Continuum.
The 90 billboards for three minutes become a single installation of colours and lights, a gradient that fades in a slow and synchronised way, which becomes a work of human perception of technology, linked in particular to meditative experiences, a theme addressed by the artist with her project Techism.
The relaxing effect of Continuum is the same as that of those apps or sites that suggest breathing and concentration exercises, a trend that grew increasingly popular during the pandemic, the same period in which Krista Kim delved into light-related meditation practices.
Sound also plays an important role, as Kim’s collaborators include, in addition to past performances with Efren Mur, Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder, with whom a live event is expected in the coming months.
Like other creatives, the artist is exploring artistic possibilities in the metaverse, this light installation prompting thoughts of a visual and perceptual dimension beyond what is known, but back in 2020 he created Mars House. The digital zen environment created by Krista Kim was sold as NFT in 2021, becoming the highest grossing work on the SuperRare platform.
If you need a bit of meditation, try booking a flight, don’t waste time you only have three minutes.
