Digital gallery in Dallas broadcasts art for public viewing

DALLAS — Yes, there will be huge high-definition screens whirling out a kinetic stream of animation, information and artistic inspiration. Yes, there will be a constantly changing assemblage of people, and motion, and noise.

But don't compare Dallas' Victory Media Network, which will be officially unveiled Friday night, with the digital displays of Times Square. The thought makes the outdoor art gallery's director cringe ever so slightly.

Unlike New York's iconic JumboTrons that flash news headlines and neon advertisements, the Dallas project is a cutting-edge collection of digital art projects, short films, and experimental animation, said Kristin Gray.

The outdoor gallery, which will be launched in a multimedia format featuring the debut of works by digital artists and performances by experimental audiovisual artists, is the centerpiece of Victory Park, a residential and commercial development adjacent to the American Airlines Center sports arena.

"It's unlike anything else, so people are trying to put it in a box," Gray said. "It's much more choreographed, much more immersive. It's not a shouting match. It's not chaotic. We're not trying to bombard people with information."

Instead, the $30 million project will feature a carefully curated selection of artwork designed to enthrall, entertain and even provoke onlookers. The pieces will be broadcast on 11 giant screens with light and sound systems. Eight of the screens are attached to movable tracks, allowing them to be pushed together or pulled apart to enhance the impact of individual pieces.

About half of the work shown will come from digital artists and filmmakers selected from more than 400 entries in a worldwide call for artists. The rest are pieces underwritten by corporate sponsors, Gray said.

After Friday's opening, the screens will be on 17 hours a day, with programming aired in 15-minute blocks. For the first week, the screens also will show the American Film Institute's top 100 movies of all time.

"It's such an unusual venue to show art," said Rob Vale, a British artist whose work will be on display. "The resolution and the scale are pretty amazing. They just spark creative ideas."

Vale's piece centers on a dancer, who will be springing from one screen to the next.

During a dry run of the system Thursday, the screens blazed to life with color and movement as some of the pieces spread across the 15-by-26-foot digital canvases. In "Polychrome Seasons" by Brooklyn artist Sean Capone, animated branches sprouted to life with fluorescent blossoms then chilled to a winter sleep in snowy white.

The images snared the eyes of Sonja Allen and her husband, Tony, who were walking across the plaza. They stopped to gaze at the wide screens, pointing toward the cascading flowers high above their heads.

"I could watch for hours," said Tony Allen, 47, who works as a draftsman. "I want one of those screens at home."

"It's very fascinating. Beautiful," said Sonja Allen, 44. "The color, how vivid and bright it is. I know it will be appreciated. I'm glad to see Dallas step up like this."

Gray hopes Victory Media Network will become an artistic focal point, not just in Dallas, but in the cultural world.

"We want people to be amazed and captivated by what is out there in the art world," said Gray. "We want it be a place to enjoy and come back to, to create conversations and maybe inspire people to pick up a paintbrush or go on a computer and create art themselves."