Each night, Times Square becomes a digital art gallery through dazzling visuals on select billboards and newsstands. Every show begins at 11:57pm with a “countdown” that signals the start of the 3 minute nightly presentation.
A spectacular visual and inspirational message will greet New Yorkers and visitors to the Crossroads of the World this April as part of a synchronized program on fifteen of the largest digital screens in Times Square.
Monday 22 April 2013 12:31
Every night for the month of April, Times Square has dedicated 3 minutes to Nelson Mandela
“The Power of Words,” a new short film compilation of Nelson Mandela’s words, pays tribute to the peaceful vision of the South African leader on the occasion of his upcoming 95thbirthday and was created especially for the Times Square screens. Throughout April, the film will air from 11:57 pm – midnight as part of theMidnight Moment: A Digital Gallery, a presentation of the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts in collaboration with the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) and Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The words of Nelson Mandela – made up of text edited from numerous speeches – will collide, float, pour and burst onto the screens through a dramatic, cosmic blue background in the collaborative work, created by Nabil Elderkin, Andrew van der Westhuyzen and Gregory Stern.
“The Power of Words” project, sponsored by Montblanc, was created in response to a challenge by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and TFI to inspire filmmakers to create short films that highlight the enduring impact of words and the resonance of Mandela’s message through multiple eras and generations. This public video piece was created by one of the directors, Nabil Elderkin, in collaboration with animator Andrew Van Der Westhuyze, to help bring greater public awareness to the initiative, which will continue later this year with four additional filmmakers, who will work with TFI and Out of Africa Entertainment to create original short films based on quotes from Mandela’s teachings that will be released throughout the year.
To help further spread the teachings of Mandela, TFI will spearhead the creation of an additional online video that will allow viewers around the world to have a virtual experience of “The Power of Words” public video piece beyond its run in Times Square.
