Tiempo ABC7 New York

The host of TIEMPO ABC7 Joe Torres joined the Eyewitness News team as a general assignment reporter in 1996.

WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the ABC television network, located in New York City. WABC-TV is owned by the ABC Owned Television Stations subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The station’s studios and offices are on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC‘s corporate headquarters.”

(0:00) …of Hispanic Heritage Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a large-scale, site-specific light sculpture by Peruvian artist Grimanesa Amorós has been installed on the facade of the Peninsula, New York, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. In keeping with the Breast Cancer Initiative’s pink theme, Amorós used LED lights to create a pink lotus flower that is attached to the Peninsula, New York’s landmark facade. It’s located at 5th Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan.

(0:31) We are pleased to have here with us Grimanesa Amorós to talk about her inspiration, her artwork. What inspired you to create this beautiful, beautiful piece of artwork? Well, I was approached by the Peninsula because they take pride to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And they call it the Art of Pink, which actually, it goes through the Peninsulas throughout Asia, Europe and North America.

(1:01) And so, when Circa 8081, which is the curatorial institution that approached me, I immediately focused on their facade. And they have this amazing Palladian window and also, next to it, the two goddesses, Roman goddesses. One is Ceres and the other one is Diana.

(1:23) And I love what it represents. One represents abundance and the other one represents, you know, childbirth, hunt and the moon. I made it with so much love. I always wanted to have the opportunity to honor women around the world. And this project came to me as such a miracle. What an amazing opportunity to make my dream a reality.

(1:43) It has a lot of associations with creativity, the awareness and rebirth that has to do with breast cancer.

(1:53) So, in terms of the logistics of being able to hang or install a piece of artwork like that, what do you need answers to before you create it?

(2:02) Well, it’s a wonderful collaboration with our teams, right? And we have to work very closely with our engineers and the permits, necessary permits, of course, famous in New York City. Electricity, I think.

(2:15) Of course, of course. It has to withstand the 100 miles per hour winds that we get in New York sometimes. But it was a wonderful collaboration. We have the appropriate measurements, you know, especially for the Palladian window.

(2:32) It’s beautiful. How long will it be there?

(2:34) It will work until November, actually. Besides, it’s going to be through the whole month of October, of course. That’s fabulous. So, it’s hard to miss.

(2:43) Does it come to you in the form of an idea or do you have the idea and it needs fine-tuning?

(2:48) No. Basically, the way I work, I go to the site, the location, in this case, you know, the façade of the peninsula. And then I make a lot of studies about what people, when they’re walking, what do they do? What do the viewers would normally do? And then I go and study the history of the building. And all that brings together the inspiration that I want to create. And in this case, The Peninsula, of course, has a lot of ties with Asia.

(3:21) And one of my dreams was always to make an installation about the pink lotus that caused such an impression on me. Like, I just came back from Arizona, actually yesterday afternoon, and the Grand Canyon now is in my system.

(3:40) So, it’s amazing the amount of research and history you do. In fact, I was reading somewhere that you really look to scientific research, social history, critical theory. All part of your inspirations. And that shows in this artwork as well.

(3:54) Correct, yes. I am always very interested in the new technologies, you know, the new electrical hardwares that they are. And then I collaborate sometimes directly with some of the companies about how, telling them, you know, how somehow they could make a better software.

(4:11) Yes. So, LED lighting in this, have you used LED lighting before?

(4:15) Yes, many, many times. It’s part of my artwork, correct.

(4:18) So, well, congratulations. This is fabulous. You have your own website, Grimanesaamoros.com. Correct. And people can find out more about you there. Congratulations. I love the piece of work. It will be there until November. Be sure to go check it out, folks.