CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION
UNVEILS 2011 HOLIDAY WINDOWS & INSTALLATION
Unique Work of Artist Nathaniel Rackowe Featured In-store
The Calvin Klein Collection store on Madison Avenue has unveiled a unique artistic installation as the centerpiece of the store’s annual holiday display which explores substance, form and light.
The one-of-a-kind installation was conceived by British artist Nathaniel Rackowe. Mr. Rackowe, who was introduced to the company by Dale Rozmiarek, Senior Vice President, Creative Services, Calvin Klein, Inc., is known for his large scale sculptural works, combining light with urban and industrial materials, designed to interact with their surrounding architectural environment. Drawing from Minimalism’s attention to the relationship between viewer, object, and space, and fusing the structural codes and material outcomes of Modernism, Mr. Rackowe’s works often transform viewers into active participants.
This latest work, entitled “Black Beacon,” stretches 60 feet in length and weighs one metric ton (1000kg), making it the largest sculpture Mr. Rackowe has undertaken. The sculpture – which took months to fabricate in his London studio before shipping it to New York City to reassemble -- consists of a massive steel frame suspended from only three points in the ceiling above the store’s pristine main floor. Honeycomb card panels, painted with viscose black bitumen on the outside and lime green on the inside, are attached along the external sides. Each of the panels are tilted open at different angles to reveal a single powerful arc of light traveling back and forth, across the entire length of the considerable structure. As the beam passes through the openings between the linear rail of panels, streams of light spill out and spread across the walls of the space.
“Black Beacon is my largest and most ambitious artwork to date,” said Mr. Rackowe. “Drawing from the cities and urban environments that I move through each day, I created this immersive work as a reflection of those experiences and a study in finding transcendental beauty in the most unforgiving of surroundings.”
The impressive steel sculpture and windows will remain on view through January 3, 2012 at the Calvin Klein Collection flagship store located at 654 Madison Avenue in New York City.
Inspired by urban environments, Mr. Rackowe’s aim is to capture and distill some of the unexpected beauty that he finds in the hard landscape of the city. Hung at a slight angle, an amazing view of “Black Beacon” is afforded from outside the space on Madison Avenue. From this vantage, it is possible to look inside the full length of the sculpture and see the light bulb as it slowly tracks towards the viewer.
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