MERCER LABS
Lower Manhattan, 21 Dey Street, New York
Ongoing
Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology, newly opened in Lower Manhattan at 21 Dey Street, is co-founded by Michael Cayre and Roy Nachum. Mercer Labs, the Museum of Art and Technology, redefines the museum experience. The experimental institution stands at 36,000 square ft and emerged in the heart of downtown New York City. Through fifteen exhibition spaces, interactive multisensory experiences, unique 4D sound listening encounters and installations featuring LED mirrored infinity rooms and 16K projections, the symbiotic relationship between art and technology is reimagined. Under Nachum’s creative direction, Mercer Labs curates evolving exhibitions and collaborates with creatives and artists to create content in which art humanizes technology. Embracing the digital age, Mercer Labs poses a question to its viewer: “Are We in the Future?”. By examining the process by which we create art and experiment with technology, Mercer Labs serves as a catalyst to create a platform that drives inspiration and collaboration. The evolving experience invites participants to explore the world from another point of view.
At the core of its mission, Mercer Labs is an onsite laboratory, known as Mercer Studio. Mercer Studio facilitates an ongoing exchange among artists, musicians and creatives, and brings collaboration to its forefront. Recent partnerships include Tribeca Festival for its 2024 Immersive Program extended by popular demand through July 29, 2024, GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Dua Lipa for her “Radical Optimism” album release, 88rising record label, and most recently, Broadway’s Hells Kitchen and 15-time GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Alicia Keys. Nachum said, “My hope is to give a heightened sense of involvement to the viewer. It’s not about what I have created, it’s about how viewers complete it through their own unique experiences or interactions. The function of art is to see the world with new eyes”. Cayre, a renowned developer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, serves as co-founder of Mercer Labs. In addition, he is a co-founder of Midtown Equities, Casa Cipriani and Chez Margaux. He has played a pivotal role in transforming experiential landscapes and revitalizing communities around the world. Mercer Labs currently presents Limitless, the inaugural exhibition by Nachum. In Limitless, he transitions between narrative and abstraction, inviting exploration of the intricate spatial framework of source imagery and technical direction. His experimental approach incorporates elements from art history, conceptualism and interactivity, to confront conventional artistic boundaries and explore sensory substitution, hypnagogic imagery, internal representations, and mental rotation.
THE EXHIBITION SPACES
THE WINDOW
A portal to the infinite, The Window, acts as both an entry point and an introduction. The massive circular stretched across the ceiling uses state-of-the-art technology to reimagine the oculus, an ancient architectural device, a window to another world. The Window acts as the transition space between the outside world and the world within the walls of Mercer Labs.
THE MAP
At 5,000 square feet and with a 40-foot ceiling height, The Map uses seamless 16K laser projection as a light source. With twenty-six projectors and a revolutionary sound system, The Map equals to twenty-six surround-sound theatres in 360. The directional sound of the Holoplot system precisely shapes and steers sound beams into two dimensions, localizing sound into sound fields. As viewers move throughout the space, sounds change around them.
4D SOUND
Roy Nachum blindfolded himself in New York City for a period of seven consecutive days using himself as a conduit, to experience the world without sight. His works are characterized by a series of experiments, often involving unconventional methods. This experiment is what led to create this exhibit and the design of a listening room in collaboration with 4DSOUND and MONOM STUDIOS, which is a collective of artists, technologists, studios, and spaces exploring spatial sound as an artistic and experiential medium.
4DSOUND uses omnidirectional sound to render vivid spatial sound holograms with precision and clarity. In this exhibition, sound has a physical presence and is the primary means of expression. 4DSOUND can project sound through controlled position, movement, and interaction. The only installation in the world of its kind, the large-scale 4DSOUND system is a marvel of auditory engineering, featuring an advanced setup of omnidirectional speakers and vibroacoustic transducers underneath the floor. Listeners can choose their own journey, to close their eyes for a more inward experience, or actively move around the space, chasing the sounds.
INFINITE
The Infinite exhibit converges the strange and the familiar to create otherworldly compositions of dynamic, unified elements and patterns. The layered compositions resulting from the abstract investigations possess a kinetic quality, unfolding over time with infinite perspectives. The massive 1.5 pitch screen surrounded by a hall of mirrors stands at 14ft x 40 ft.
THE DRAGON
Volumetric lighting allows visitors to see voxels (volumetric pixels) of light in space. The light source is modeled as a transparent object in a container of volume. The resulting effect is of passing through a hologram. The use of mirrors and advanced technology unlock the power of three-dimensional visualization to create a cascade of luminescent particles that appear suspended in infinite space. The individual light particles in an architectural format offer virtually endless opportunities for formal reinvention. The Volumetric installation powered by Led Pulse, Dragon02 technology, features a unique configuration exclusive to Mercer Labs. This remarkable installation, the largest of its kind, incorporates 507,000 LED neurons-microchips, meticulously synchronized to create an unparalleled visual experience. This revolutionary technology represents a quantum leap in advancement, challenging our understanding and control of light.
THE CAVE
The Cave is a space for reflection, inspiration and perception, where time slows down. A sense of mindful contemplation permeates the atmosphere, inviting viewers to participate in a ritual that honours the present moment. Physical nature intertwines with technology and the interplay between the tangible and the virtual becomes one.
PNEUMATIC TRANSMISSION
Pneumatic Transmission is an installation using past, present and future technologies to transmit messages and data. Pneumatic tube systems propel cylindrical containers through networks of tubes using compressed air. In the late 19th century, these systems were used to transport mail. This installation revitalizes the communication potential of these systems with algorithms to transmit messages input by visitors. Words become luminous echoes, and the transformative power of connectivity bridges the gap between humanity and the infinite.
ECOSYSTEM
The 3D video ecosystem fosters exploration, discovery and play through reactive technology. A space where imagination takes flight. and Nachum’s signature crown kids and creatures are brought to life in digital windows that open and move through other worlds.
DRAWING STATION
Mercer’s unique characters, “Mercer and Friends” can be colored in on the paper provided. The characters drawn by participants spawn inside the portal and come to life to live in the ecosystem. From a winged sphinx to a mantis, they become part of the installation. The portal invites visitors to engage and interact, transforming their surroundings into a playground of imagination.
BALL POND
Participants can slide free into the ball pond with iridescent black balls on the interactive slide, which functions and transforms with active movement. Explore the tangible digital world through play and interaction.
FREEDOM
A space for reflection and inspiration where time slows down, an invitation to explore of creative freedom through introspection. The interplay between the tangible and the virtual celebrates contemporary art, the past, present and future. A ritual that honours the present moment through painting.
THE GAME
Movable chess pieces stand as large sculptures offering an artistic re-interpretation of the classic game. The interactive floor animates the space with sound and light as the chessboard becomes an interactive digital landscape. The game is created by the viewer’s artistic collaboration. An audio-visual installation is pressure-activated, and each step in any direction triggers both the digital chess squares and the synonymous directional sound system.
ARCHETYPE
The mechanized performance of the colossal automaton experiments with human imagination and machine intelligence. The Robot arm synthesizes humanity and technology, holding within it an astonishing range of capabilities. A conduit for the artistic process while demonstrating the evolving relationship between humans and automation.
THE MUSIC BOX
Music box pins are used to create Braille characters, transforming lyrics and poetry into new and curious melodies. Nachum’s Crown Kids are immortalized as robots turning the mechanism to activate the music box. An audiovisual representation of the intricate connection between sound and perception, here the boundaries between languages become non-existent.
THE STORE
The museum’s concept store emerges as the ultimate culmination of the experience. Carefully curated, the collection becomes a tangible extension of Mercer Labs’ identity. The concept shop is a space to champion contemporary brands, limited edition pieces, special collaborations and new designs.
THE MOCHI CAFÉ
Indulge your senses with traditional Japanese Mochi ice cream. Honoring the refined aesthetics of Japanese culture and crafted to perfection, Mercer Labs offer a special selection of flavours, accompanied by an eclectic selection of Japanese treats and custom sparkling beverages bottled fresh by order.
ROY NACHUM BIOGRAPHY
Roy Nachum, born in 1979, is an experimental artist known for his comprehensive artistic practice that spans various mediums, including painting, sculpture, architecture, installation and technology. Works utilize art historical elements, conceptualism, and interactivity to explore complex psych-visual factors like sensory substitution, internal representations, transhistorical paradigms, and mental rotation. Nachum’s work often includes Braille and the recurring subject, a child with a gold crown. The “crown” serves as a symbol of humility and equality. Braille is a medium to communicate through poetry and language, inclusive of and a tribute to people who have visual impairments to help create awareness. Its tactile quality allows for interaction otherwise not allowed in painting. Nachum’s work by its nature demands interaction, this notion has grown to feed the movement of Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology where technology is the tool and the viewer is invited into the work. Nachum’s expansive art production extends into various disciplines, including fashion, design, engineering and other areas. He challenges traditional divisions with an interdisciplinary approach, exploring the possibilities that technology imposes on art. Themes of language, spatial awareness, and the relationship between artistic process and viewer participation are recurrent. Works are characterized by a series of experiments, often involving unconventional methods. For instance, Nachum blindfolded himself for 196 hours during a period of seven consecutive days using himself as a conduit.
Mercer Labs derived from Nachum’s desire to communicate through his works, to build a community and to foster collaborations between artists. The experimental institution challenges conventions and defies expectations, bringing culture and innovation together with the intention to humanize technology. It serves as a testament to Nachum’s innovative and multifaceted approach, as he continues to push the boundaries of creativity and redefine the conversation around aesthetic systems and their distribution. Nachum received his education at The Cooper Union in New York, and his work can be found in significant public and private art collections. He gained recognition with a Grammy nomination for the 59th annual Grammy Awards for his contributions to Rihanna’s acclaimed album, “Anti”. Collectors of Nachum’s work include Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, LeBron James, Rihanna, and Swizz Beatz, among many others.
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