277 Fifth Avenue, a striking, modern tower designed by internationally-acclaimed architect Rafael Viñoly and developed by Victor Group and Lendlease, commissioned renowned lighting designer Joel Fitzpatrick to create Aurora, a stunning, temporary art installation that transforms the upper levels of the ultra-luxury condominium tower.
Aurora brings NoMad’s tallest tower to life with an effervescent public artwork that unveils new aspects of Viñoly’s contemporary architectural design. The two-week installation is on display in honor of NYCxDesign, New York City’s annual celebration of design that attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees and designers from across the globe.
Inspired by the natural light display commonly known as the Aurora Borealis, or “The Northern Lights” which occurs in high-latitude regions around the world, artist Joel Fitzpatrick has emulated the varying color and complexity of this natural phenomenon in an urban context at 277 Fifth Avenue.
With the rise of digital technology, “The Northern Lights” has become an iconic image due to its perpetually shifting appearance, and Aurora at 277 Fifth Avenue displays the same temporal color changes for Manhattan during NYCxDesign. No single color can be assigned to the artwork, which appears as a gradient against the skyline during an hourly program in concert with the sparkling spire of the neighboring Empire State Building.
Fitzpatrick has a diverse background spanning theater, fashion, interior design, dance and lighting. He is a true disruptor and was profiled in Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling novel, The Tipping Point. For 277 Fifth Avenue, Fitzpatrick’s selection of light enables the property’s architecture to be experienced in a new way from nearly every Manhattan neighborhood’s perspective.
One of the standout features of the property’s design is a quartet of distinguished loggias—sheltered, double-height, open-air spaces for private leisure and entertaining that spiral downward from the top and are seemingly carved out of the building’s corners. Source, images and video Courtesy of Optimist Consulting.