Naoko Tosa

In partnership with the Japan Society Gallery, Times Square Arts presents artist and 2016 Japan Cultural Envoy Naoko Tosa’s Sound of Ikebana (Spring) on Times Square’s electronic billboards from 11:57 pm to midnight every night in April. This project is a part of Midnight Moment, a monthly presentation by The Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts.Propelled by sound, elegant splashes of color fly in slow motion across a dark screen. Part of a four-video art series designed to express Japan’s four seasons, Sound of Ikebana (Spring) uses the unpredictable natural phenomena of sound vibrations and colorful paint of different consistencies to create intriguing and mesmeric shapes that evoke the art of ikebana –Japanese flower arrangement based around asymmetrical triangular forms. The colors are inspired both by spring images such as apricot flowers and cherry blossoms, as well as the white and gold of the Japanese New Year. Tosa’s slow-motion liquid – filmed at 2000 frames per second – blends artistic traditions with cutting-edge technology and organic designs, inviting audiences to a contemplative visual connection with traditional Japanese culture and its history.Photographs courtesy of Ka-Man Tse for Times Square Arts.