This fall, the first permanent space devoted to showing new media arts in New York City opened in the basement of Chelsea Market with a mind-bending debut installation, Machine Hallucinations. This month, that immersive installation will close to make way for the next art experience. If you are an Untapped New York Insider, you can join a free viewing on January 18th before the show closes. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to free behind-the-scenes tours and special events all year long!
The underground art venue, ARTECHOUSE, occupies 6,000 square-feet of space that used to be the boiler room of the former Meatpacking District headquarters of the National Biscuit Company. The room beneath the main concourse of Chelsea Market has been vacant for decades. Now, the historic space is filled with the most cutting edge technology.
ARTECHOUSE’s debut installation is an immersive experience crafted by acclaimed digital artist Refik Anadol. The visual and auditory journey explores a fictional near future where machines can learn and dream. The shape-shifting visuals that surround you were made from combining 300 million architectural photographs (the largest data set ever collected for a piece of art) with an algorithm powered by artificial intelligence. The images create an experiential environment that reveals hidden connections between unique moments in architectural culture and history. The music that accompanies the images was composedusing samples of radio transmissions and pieces from sound archives of taxis and other city sounds.
Before, or after, you enjoy Anadol’s immersive experience, you can hit the balcony level bar where the menu is infused with technology as well. The Artechouse application on for smartphones makes drinks and coasters come to life with augmented reality. Scanning the logo on the bar’s coasters will pull up a digital version of the menu. If you’re having trouble deciding which cocktail to choose, you can even get a recommendation. Move the phone around and digital figures will appear. The five signature cocktails were crafted using the top ingredients from the top ten bars in five of the mixologist’s favorite New York City neighborhoods, the Financial District, Theater District, The Village, The Meatpacking District and Chelsea.
Machine Hallucinations debuted in September 2019 and will close in January 2020. Don’t miss your chance to see it! Tickets can be purchased online here. If you are an Untapped New York Insider, you can join a free viewing on January 18th before the show closes, a $24 value. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to free behind-the-scenes tours and special events all year long!
Nicole Saraniero is the Insider-in-Chief at Untapped New York, leading our Untapped New York Insiders membership program. Nicole graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science in Televis
