At 11:57pm the advertising across Times Square cuts out and dozens of screens synchronise on one artwork, which is the largest coordinated digital art display anywhere. Maia Chao's Studies for American Idle sets real tourist choreography, filmed in these same plazas, against the looping gestures of 3D crowd-simulation figures. If you can stay up, stand near Duffy Square and look north when the countdown hits.
What to expect
Arrive by around 11:45pm and find a spot in the pedestrian plazas between 42nd and 47th Streets. The screens switch over together for three minutes, then the ads return. The plazas stay busy and well lit, and small crowds of regulars gather in the same spots each night.
Good to know
- Take the 1/2/3, N/Q/R/W, 7 or S to Times Square-42nd Street
- Duffy Square and the red steps give the widest view of the synchronised screens
- Completely free with no ticket or registration
- Bring a phone with battery left; the display lasts only three minutes
- The plazas are pedestrianised and step-free throughout
- Also look for Chao's photographs installed on the Bigbelly bins across the plazas
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Common questions
How long does Midnight Moment last?
Three minutes, from 11:57pm to midnight, every night of the month.
Where is the best place to stand?
Duffy Square at 47th Street, looking south, or the plazas around 45th and 46th Streets, where the most screens are visible at once.
Is there anything to see during the day?
Yes. Chao's companion project Case Subtype: Damaged/Nonfunctional puts thirty photographs on the trash compactors across the plazas throughout August.
More this weekend
