Prismatica

RAW Design with ATOMIC3
JAN. 11, 2021 — JAN. 30, 2021
Garment District Plazas
Broadway, Between 41st Street & 36th Street

A glimmering winter kaleidoscope has come to the Garment District with Prismatica, an immersive art installation comprised of 25 pivoting prisms that reflect the colors of the rainbow. As pedestrians walk through the exhibition, the six-foot-tall, multi-colored prisms fill the plazas with reflections and musical sounds, creating an ever-changing light show.

Located on Broadway between 39th and 40th Streets, Prismatica is free and will be available to the public through January 30th. In collaboration with The Québec Government Office in New York, the we will be kicking off unveiling with fresh Canadian maple syrup taffy made by Chef Dominic Sylvain at the Cabana a Sucre, a pop-up sugar shack.

The interactive installation creates an enchanting atmosphere along the plazas, putting visitors at the center of the experience. Glimmering by day and atmospheric by night, the prisms are six feet tall, made of panels covered with a dichroic film that reflect the colors of the rainbow, and emit light and a variable-intensity soundtrack of bell sounds when rotated.

Nighttime view of five glass prism sculptures on small pedestals placed on the plaza

A young child in a winter coat next to a glass sculpture.

A woman and two children walking between two rows of glass prism sculptures

A woman looking up at one of the glass prism sculptures

Prismatica was created by RAW Design in collaboration with ATOMIC3, with Dix au Carré leading the sound design, lighting design by ATOMIC3 and Jean-François Piché, and production and technical direction by ATOMIC3 and Louis Héon. It was first presented as part of the fifth edition of Luminothérapie in 2014-2015, at the Place des Festivals in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles.

The installation is part of Garment District Art on the Plazas, a year-round public art program made possible through the NYC Department of Transportation’s Art Program (DOT Art). The Garment District Alliance and DOT Art work closely to coordinate and install exhibits and individual pieces, which enhance public plazas and make them even more welcoming to New Yorkers and visitors.