New York, NY - March 7, 2019 - Artist, designer, and activist Sebastian Errazuriz will present his latest public artwork “blu Marble” in New York beginning March 13, 2019. blu Marble is a monumental, 20-foot, LED structure depicting a live stream of the Earth from space. Visible by day and night, blu Marble invites the public to consider their presence in a form and scale that was never experienced before. This contemplative work offers new perspective on our existence and hopes to help humanity make positive change. “blu Marble is a reminder of our miraculously fragile existence. It places our very existence in perspective at a global level – as a tiny spec in space – beckoning us to live fully with an awareness and mindfulness of our limited time on this vulnerable and beautiful planet,” explains Sebastian Errazuriz.
The groundbreaking project was launched in Manhattan on March 13th, showcased at 159 Ludlow Street with a private launch at Richard Taittinger Gallery. For one night only, there was a neighborhood display in cooperation with the New Museum, where blu Marble transformed the Manhattan skyline. The artwork features a custom-created LED screen that projects Earth in real time from space. To obtain this imagery, Sebastian’s team created a bot that scrapes live photographs from a NASA satellite and merges them in an exclusive software that generates a slow progression between still images to compose a live video of Earth as seen from space. Typically used to monitor and study daily variations of vegetation, ozone, aerosols, clouds, reflectivity, etc., these new-generation satellites allow the live stream of our ever-changing Earth. The audience passing by the installation at night sees a partially dark Earth with clusters of light and, in contrast, meteorological conditions during the day.
2019 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first person walking on the moon. This historical moment shifted the human perspective on limitation and possibility. Three years later, as Apollo 17 was on its last lunar mission, the crew took the renowned picture “Blue Marble” showing the first image of the Earth from space. The original “Blue Marble” picture is the most widely reproduced image of the Earth, leaving us with a remarkable image frozen in time. blu Marble pays homage to the iconic picture by bringing it to life and substantially increasing its size to raise awareness to our need for perspective and introspection. blu Marble was made possible by the support of the innovative e-vapor company, Fontem Ventures, owner of one of the first US e-vapor brands, blu, as part of a new campaign, “Pledge World by blu,” which seeks to fulfill the dreams of adult consumers as they embark on a potentially life-changing journey. The company invited Sebastian Errazuriz to make a pledge through Pledge World for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make his ambitions a reality. Through Pledge World, blu has been helping adult consumers make life-affirming experiences a reality by granting real adult’s pledges and helping them own their choices for a more positive life.
About Sebastian Errazuriz New York based Artist, designer, activist Sebastian Errazuriz is renowned for his innovative approach that subverts conventional categorization and mixes genres, techniques, and disciplines. Errazuriz’s experimental practice is informed by his desire to provoke conversation and raise awareness. His expansive body of work blurs the boundaries between contemporary art, tech, design and craft. His exclusive masterpieces are avidly acquired by art collectors and museums. Errazuriz’s interdisciplinary approach invites the viewers to consider the ways in which any work can be simultaneously conceptual and functional, inviting the viewer to look again at realities that were often hidden in plain sight. Sebastian Errazuriz’s work has been exhibited internationally alongside the most celebrated artists, architects and designers and resides in permanent museum collections around the world. Sebastian Errazuriz is currently working on an exciting line-up of other global projects showcasing his work with augmented reality technology, virtual reality and digital platforms. The coverage of his creations has been a successive string of viral responses. Errazuriz has been featured in multiple magazine covers and portrayed in thousands of press articles. He has received critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Forbes, Business Insider, Art+Auction among others. In addition, his work has been featured in mainstream TV on BBC, CNN, ABC, and NY1.
About blu Designed for smokers, by smokers, blu has been a trusted leader of adult consumer satisfaction since launching in 2009. blu's top priority and mission continues to be exceeding the needs of adult smokers with high quality vapor products and e-liquid flavors. blu is available online and instores across the four largest vapor markets worldwide, including the USA, UK, France and Italy. The brand is owned by Fontem Ventures, a subsidiary of the Imperial Brands Group, with international headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Charlotte, North Carolina. To discover blu and experience blu satisfaction, visit [http://www.blu.com/en/US] blu adheres and is committed to marketing and advertising standards that ensure all communications are intended for, and presented to, adult audiences only. To discover blu and experience blu satisfaction, visit [http://www.blu.com/en/US]
