Beaux Arts Ball 2010 - Projection mapping and lighting install

Architectural League of New York
Beaux Arts Ball 2010
Request for Proposals

The Architectural League is seeking individuals or teams of artists and designers to create light installation and projection mapping projects for our annual Beaux Arts Ball. The Ball will take place on September 25, 2010, at the American Academy of Arts and Letters at Audubon Terrace in Washington Heights. Last year, the event drew over 1000 architects, designers and artists at The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus. Up to ten proposals will be selected for display for the duration of the event, from roughly 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Teams may submit one or more proposals for review.

The site, Audubon Terrace, is a landmark complex of approximately eight early 20th Century Beaux Arts buildings in New York City. Home to the Academy, the Hispanic Society and Boricua College, the various architecturally complementary buildings, which take up most of a city block, are arranged in two parallel rows facing each other across an east/west pedestrian plaza. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Images of the terrace and floor plans of the Academy’s buildings are at the end of this document and can also be found at http://archleague.org/bab2010images.

Three of the Academy’s buildings and the terrace will house various projection mapping projects and lighting installations. The different installation locations include:

North Gallery corners (4 projects) - Each corner of the large North Gallery will feature a project. The gallery has an incredibly high ceiling, and 2 sets of partitions that create the 4 corners that projectors can be mounted on top of. The location is ideal for installation/object-based projection. There will be a bar in the space but no loud music.
Details: Each corner is 15 ft. x 17 ft. and 12 ft. high with an outlet on each wall.

North Gallery dividing walls (1 project) - The long parallel dividing walls in the North Gallery are ideal for 2-d projection mapping. Projectors can be mounted on top of the walls. Again, the North Gallery will be a quieter space.
Details: Each wall is 36 ft. long and 12 ft. high. The distance between the two walls is approximately 30 ft. Outlets are accessible.

South Gallery - Dance Floor (1 or 2 projects) - This is a large gallery room with a high keystone ceiling which will house the DJ, a bar, and the dance floor.  This room will be filled with people, and as the ceiling is shaped and historic, nothing can be hung from it.  Example projects could involve video as lighting, audio reactive projections, or architectural projection mapping on the walls or ceiling.
Details: The South Gallery is 34 ft. north to south and runs about 70 ft. in length. Hangable wall height is 18.5 ft. There are 2 alcoves (1 for the bar, 1 for the DJ), 3 windows and a keystone ceiling.

Annex (1 project) - Connecting the South Gallery and the east gallery, there is an annex with a shelf to mount a projector and 12 ft. ceilings. A newly built glass link connects the annex to the East Gallery.
Details: The annex is 14 ft. wide, about 26 ft. in length, and about 12 ft. high.

Glass Link (1 project) - A glass walkway that connects the Annex to the East Gallery.  Walls and ceiling are made entirely of glass and look out upon the Terrace. 
Details: It is approximately 15 ft. x 15 ft. x 15 ft.

Board Room (1 project) - Another small gallery room (not an actual board room), connecting the Annex to the East Gallery.
Details: 12 ft. wide, 36 ft. long, with a false wall about 3-4 ft. wide that doesn’t quite reach the ceiling toward the back of the room.

East Gallery (1 project) - Smaller than the North Gallery, this space is ideal for smaller projection mapping projects and installations, or intimate video pieces.
Details: This room has curtains which can divide the room into one room that is 36 ft. long and one that is 10 ft. long.

Terrace Entryway (1 project) - 1 medium to large scale entrance and walk way installation to guide guests by light from the front of the terrace to the west end where the event is being held.
Details: The terrace is 55 ft. wide.

Terrace Canopy(1 project) - We invite an ambitious group of designers with installation or design/build experience to create a large-scale canopy installation to serve as a covered walkway between the North Gallery and the rest of the Academy. This can be a projection installation or a lighted installation. This project will require working closely with the League and the Academy, with a higher budget than the other projects.
Details: The terrace is 55 ft. from gallery to gallery, and about 80 ft. from the end of the terrace to the first stairwell.

Terrace Courtyard (1 project) - A medium to large scale project. Lighting installations or projection mapping on one of the architectural facades of the buildings seem ideal.
Details: The terrace is 55 ft. wide.

There are almost ZERO New York City based projection mapping projects on Vimeo. Let’s change that. Examples of types of projects we would like to see include:
Sculptural projection mapping projects that can easily be taken down and set up again. This can involve projecting on geometric shapes, white television screens, white furniture, old architectural models, and sculptures.
2D projection mapping onto any variety of media on walls. Media can range from books, to picture frames, to polygons.
Architectural projection mapping, onto the facades of the buildings and the Audubon Terrace.
Light sculptures that play with reflection, refraction, shadow, and different types of lights.

If selected, all team members will receive free admission to the Ball. Additionally, projects and teams will be featured on the Ball web page on www.archleague.org and will be given credit in the printed program for the Ball. We would also like to host a presentation of each team’s piece and/or prior work at the League’s office which we may turn into a podcast and be featured on our blog. During the event we will have a tour of the installations introducing the design teams to architects and designers.

Requirements
Participants must provide their own equipment, including projectors, extension cords, computers, laptops, etc. All equipment will need to be checked and approved by the Architectural League. Participants must set up and break down their own projects within the allotted time frame. Set-up should not take more than 1.5 days and everything must be out of the space by Monday, September 27. Participants will visit the site the first or second week of August and will file a progress report on their project the first week of September.

To be considered for this event, please send the following to [email protected] no later than August 11, 2010:
1. Project Proposal
Description of the project, desired site, whether the project is looped or interactive (and if so what sort of structured involvement is there), technical systems and requirements, production timeline, additional support required.
2. Budget
There will be a stipend for each project: $300 for smaller installations (up to 10 projects); $500 for bigger installations (up to 5 projects); and $3000 for the tented walkway installation. Any materials or costs are the responsibility of the teams. If any part of the project will be significantly over the allotted stipend, please indicate the source of the additional funding necessary to complete the project.
3. Supporting Material
Please provide a short bio for each team member, and a link or DVD containing examples of past works.

The Architectural League of New York is an independent forum for creative work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines. Through its lectures, exhibitions, publications and programming, the League fosters discussion and debate of the most stimulating work and important issues in contemporary architecture and design. The League’s website, www.archleague.org, has a great deal of supplemental information on programs as well as documentation and commentary on programs and material produced exclusively for the web.

Time Line:
Wednesday, Aug. 11 - Deadline for proposals
Friday, Aug. 13 - Teams informed of selection
The week of Aug. 16-21 - The League will arrange site visits to the Academy for participants
Tuesday Aug. 31 - Half of stipend dispersed
Monday, Sept. 6 - Progress check-in
Monday, Sept. 20 - Final check-in, schedule sent out for Friday-Saturday installation
Fri + Sat Sept. 24-25 - Set-up
Sunday, Sept. 26 - Complete deinstallation
Monday, Sept. 27 - Disburse remaining stipend

Please visit http://archleague.org/bab2010images for hi-res floorplans and photographs of the different rooms.