HomeMy WebLinkAbout(0148) Pioneer Tower Artwork Implementation Narrative.pdfPioneer Tower Iconic Public Artwork Implementation Plan
JTK Studios / SP Studio
Images from projection test of May 18, 2021
To implement the premier of the four-sided, 30,000 square foot projection of works by renowned
international new media artists Refik Anadol and Davide Quayola on the iconic 204-foot tall
Pioneer Tower, JTK Studios / SP Studio will use thirteen (13) 30,000 lumen laser projectors,
encased and weather proofed, inside of three (3) 10 x 10 x 19 foot scaffolding towers on the
north, east and west sides. On the south side, the projectors, with weather casing, will be placed
on a rooftop.
On the north plaza and front lawn of the Will Rogers Memorial Center, a twenty (20) channel
surround sound audio system will provide an all -encompassing and immersive experience to the
thousands in attendance on the nights of August 20 — 21, 2021.
The JTK Studios / SP Studio team is made up of 18 seasoned event project managers,
coordinators, projectionists, engineers, stagehands, and assistants. From August 16, 2021
through August 20, 2021, the team will work around the clock to create this ambitious
installation, with most of the work taking place from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Joshua King (JTK Studios LLC) and Shane Pennington (SP Studio LLC), local artists and co-founders
of AURORA Light Video Sound Biennial, have directed and produced events since 2010 that have
attracted over 170,000 visitors and commissioned over 300 local and international artists.
AURORA is an expansive free public art exhibition that transforms Downtown Dallas into an open-
air, urban playground of new media art. With installations of light, video and sound presented in
unexpected spaces, the sunset signals the transformation of the city into one of the nation's
largest outdoor exhibitions. (https://dallasaurora.com)
Joshua King
a oshuakingart.com
Joshua King's artwork brings new intensity and expression to sought-after objects that are
grounded within our relationship to the everyday. His love for life and culture within a
community lead him to being one of the founders of AURORA; a global biennial exhibition that
presents the art of light, video and sound in public spaces. His artistic career has taken his work
across America. King's work is known for using material that inspires him to redefine its purpose,
including, household tools, sandpaper, lead, pencils, clipboards and hair. "Everything has an
energy to it and a life cycle," says King. "It evolves aesthetically from the infancy of a piece, to its
maturity when it being shown. I see my work as being rooted in society and the biodiversity of
our earth". With influences from Fred Sandbeck, Sol Lewitt and Tom Friedman, Kings artwork
challenges the viewer to pay attention and his photography received the grand prize in The Dallas
Morning News "Show Me Your Dallas" competition. King was raised in Lubbock, Texas; he lives
and works in Dallas.
Shane Pennington
shanepennington.com
Shane Pennington's work engages the balance, and fragility, of essential dichotomies. Between
the ephemeral and the enduring, nature and the human construct, Pennington's subjects are
often skewed metaphorically and physically, prompting the viewer to contemplate life and its
meaning from an alternative perspective. His use of many media and textures, from sculpture
and painting, to digital video, allows for a diverse artistic language. The resultant works conjure
an energy that reflects upon life, death and universal consciousness. Shane Pennington is a
Dallas -based artist and a founder of AURORA, a public arts organization that works at the
intersection of art, technology and community presenting work from visionary artists of our
time. AURORA debuted in the Dallas Arts District in October 2011.
Pennington was a recipient of the "New Dallas Nine" award from D Magazine and has exhibited
internationally at the Paddington Contemporary Gallery in Sydney, Australia and at Sur la
Montagne, Berlin. He also counts many world -recognized institutions and corporations among
his collectors, including Alana in Sydney, The Waterfall Mansion, The Gaedeke Group, Caldwell
Cassady & Curry, Samsung, The Regis Corporation, Dallas City Hall, Moody Performance Hall,
TEDxSMU, and JP Morgan Chase, by whom he was commissioned to install his work in the lobby
of their flagship tower in Dallas.