Midnight Moment: Björk takes over Times Square (video)

Throughout the month of March in the wee hours, watch a trippy music video projected across five blocks of midtown.

By Jenna Scherer Thu Mar 14 2013

Photograph: Ka-Man Tse for the Times Square Alliance

Björk's "Mutual Core," Midnight Moment
Photograph: Ka-Man Tse for the Times Square Alliance

Björk's "Mutual Core," Midnight Moment
Photograph: Ka-Man Tse for the Times Square Alliance

Björk's "Mutual Core," Midnight Moment
Photograph: Ka-Man Tse for the Times Square Alliance

Björk's "Mutual Core," Midnight Moment

Photograph: Ka-Man Tse for the Times Square Alliance

Björk's "Mutual Core," Midnight Moment

There’s a new reason to look up in Times Square at midnight, and it doesn’t have anything to do with a ball dropping. At 11:57pm every night through March 31, 15 of the ubiquitous digital signs between 42nd and 47th Streets are ditching their ad content for three minutes to broadcast the music video of Björk’s “Mutual Core.” It’s part of an ongoing installation from Times Square Arts and Times Square Advertising Coalition called Midnight Moment, which features a different video spread across the billboards each month.

In typical Björk fashion,“Mutual Core” is psychedelic and otherworldly. Directed by artist-filmmaker Andrew Thomas Huang, the geologically themed vid features tectonic plates, volcanic eruptions and the Icelandic singer-songwriter buried in shifting sand. For Midnight Moment, it’s been edited specifically to project across the series of billboards. Check out the original video below.

And stay tuned on April 1, when the screens will project “The Power of Words,” a new short film that splices together pieces of Nelson Mandela’s speeches in honor of the South African leader’s 95th birthday.