Here's Why an Artist Is Drowning in Times Square This Month

At 11:57 PM every night in August, the screens in Times Square will be filled with a lonesome figure in a tuxedo as he explores landscapes across the globe, wandering from the ocean floor, to arid plain, to the luscious rainforest. Filmed in eight locations around the world, Cistern is a music video from artist Jherek Bischoff. The video is a deep communion with nature, one which Bischoff fully experienced; in the process of filming he was burned, sunburned, and submerged on the ocean floor, weighed down by rocks.

Bischoff describes his journey in creating Cistern as, simply, epic. The song was inspired by the musician’s improvisations while inside of a water tank. In the strange space, the acoustics and reverb forced Bischoff to slow down musically, leading to the ambient vibe of his album. This slowness and patience is haunting when placed in the midst of hectic Times Square. The video’s devotion to the harsh beauty of nature doubly complicates Cistern’s setting. The juxtaposition of raw landscapes and hectic New York is both ironic and powerful. The stunning images of nature provide a stark contrast to the bustling, hectic streets of Manhattan, and to the crazed advertisements and distracting lights of Times Square.

Previously, the Midnight Moment series has filled Times Square with floating flowers, roaring oceans, and animated sunrises, but August’s Midnight Moment is the most ambitious so far, says Times Square Arts Director Sherry Dobbin. On August 21st and 22nd the public art program will put on a concert where Jherek Bischoff’s Silent Orchestra will perform on electronic instruments. The music will be streamed through 400 sets of wireless headphones, given out to the audience. The performance will be entirely silent to a passersby, but the audience will experience an complex and intimate concert.

To learn more about Midnight Moment, click here. To learn more about Jherek Bischoff, visit his website.

Related:

A Sea of Flowers Floats Through Times Square

An Animated Sun Rises Over Times Square

A Roaring Ocean in Times Square