Victoria Meyers recently sat down for an interview with the FIXr.com blog. In the interview, Ms. Meyers discusses her inspirations, life as an architect in New York City, as well as several current projects including the recently completed Infinity Chapel in Greenwich Village, NYC and Digital Water Pavilion, a community center currently under construction in Battery Park City.
The Digital Water Pavilion (Battery Park City Community Center) is a new project by hanrahan Meyers architects (hMa) for Battery Park City Authority, in downtown Manhattan, across from Ground Zero. The project is a 550-foot long digitally interactive facade that will feature a sound composition, 'WATER', by New York Composer and hMa collaborator, Michael Schumacher. The Pavilion's glass facade will have interactive links, so that music (WATER), and the Pavilion's architecture will link directly to contemporary social networks, Twitter and Google.
sample of arcade wall pattern for Battery Park City Community Center, cover for soon to be released CD for WATER, composed by Michael Schumacher for the Digital Water Pavilion
hMa's Digital Water Pavilion (Battery Park City Community Center) will integrate the cloud into the architecture by using a smart phone app as an integrated part of the building's public facade. Pavilion's east facing facade is a 550-long glass wall engraved with a frit pattern representation of New York composer Michael Schumacher's sound piece: 'WATER'. This piece joins Pavilion visitors thru Twitter, Facebook and other social networks, integrating with them through a smart phone app that will allow visitors to use cell phones to read different parts of Schumacher's 'WATER' as they walk along the glass wall.
The Water Pavilion's main facade is imprinted with digital code, embedded with a digital soundtrack from the hMa / Schumacher collaboration, 'WATER'. Visitors will wave their smart phones at the Pavilion wall and 'play' the wall.
interactive wall detail : Digital Water Pavilion (Battery Park City Community Center) by hanrahan Meyers architects, collaboration with Michael Schumacher
For more information about hMa's Digital Water Pavilion (Battery Park City Community Center) visit hMa's website: www.hanrahanMeyers.com.
Digital Water Pavilion (DWP) is planned to be a Platinum LEED building designed around principles of sustainable design. The conservation of water is a key issue of the new Pavilion, and the main facade of DWP will have a piece written by composer Michael Schumacher etched on the glass titled: WATER.
Schmacher's score for WATER will be etched on the façade as a bar code. The facade is a 550-foot long glass wall designed by hanrahan Meyers architects (hMa), and visitors will be able to activate and 'play' Schumacher's piece by aiming their smart phones at the wall, and using a custom 'app' to 'play' the facade. By 'playing' the facade, visitors will hear WATER through their cell phone earpieces.
Digital Water Pavilion: hanrahan Meyers architects (hMa). A new pavilion in construction at Battery Park City, facing the Ballfields. The facade is a collaboration between hMa and NY Composer Michael Schumacher called: Tonal Motion.
The use of water as a constantly circulating, regenerative natural element is explored inside the new Digital Water Pavilion, which features an Olympic length pool with filters that clean the water using minimal chemicals, and minimal water waste. The building features Grey Water recycling, and all plantings around the building are native species.
Visitors walking by the glass façade of the Digital Water Pavilion can wave smartphones toward the façade and read a signal, which will play part of Schumacher's piece, WATER, on their phones. Visitors can literally play the façade.
hMa has teamed with artists on several of their past and present projects. Composer Michael Schumacher and sculptor David Teeple have been in-house consultants on a number of hMa projects. For hMa’s new Community Center adjacent to Ground Zero, Michael Schumacher composed the ‘Birdsong’, establishing a formal language for a ‘frit’ pattern that will go on the glass façade of the building. David Teeple’s sculptural vision was part of the formal discussion both for Holley House, as well as Dune House (currently in design). hMa also works with several arts groups. For several years, hMa has served as an ongoing advisor to Mark di Suvero and Socrates Sculpture Park.
The following images and text are from a lecture by Victoria Meyers at Louisiana State University in 2004 called "A Practice in the Arts," examining hMa's relationship to the arts.
"The first slide is of 'hMa' – our firm's logo – referring to 'h' as the horizon line, and 'ma' as 'space', next to an image of three dancers dancing on stage – in this case three very special dancers including Merce Cunningham.
As a choreographer, Merce Cunningham engaged artists in many mediums as collaborators: John Cage and David Tudor (music); and Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Motherwell (painting). Following in Merce Cunningham's footsteps, hMa has pursued collaborations with artists in other mediums including music (Michael Schumacher) and painting (Bruce Pearson and Joe Amrhein).
To view the full presentation, click the link below:
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