ARTECHOUSE Partners With Local Bars To Present An Augmented Reality Drink Experience

ARTECHOUSE, the nation's first art space dedicated to digital and experiential art, with locations in Washington, DC, New York and Miami, today launches a timely and innovative new AR Drinks program and hologram-like bar installation in its New York City space in Chelsea Market, in connection with its popular current installation, Celestial.

In partnership with neighborhood bars and restaurants Brass Monkey, The Chester and Helen's-businesses in an industry that, like the arts, is struggling to sustain itself amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic-ARTECHOUSE is offering non-alcoholic cocktails that can be purchased to-go by passersby and visitors and brought to life with augmented reality through the ARTECHOUSE mobile app. Alcoholic versions of the drinks, with AR-activating coasters, will be available at Helen's and The Chester. To further activate the ARTECHOUSE NYC AR bar, the first of its kind in the U.S., while observing current public health protocols, the institution is collaborating with Noiland Collective and Epson to transform the bar area into yet another work of immersive digital art, NHKS4220 Bar Illusion, inspired by Edward Hopper's iconic 1942 painting Nighthawks.

For ARTECHOUSE NYC's new AR drinks program, its partners have created:

• Brass Monkey: "Uncharted Territory," which combines spiced blackberry cordial (blackberries, cloves, sage, and sugar), lemon juice, water and edible glitter.

• The Chester: "Reality Check," made of organic açai puree, muddled blueberries, mint leaf sprigs, lemon juice, vanilla-infused simple syrup and French organic coconut purée.

• Helen's: "Reemerge," mixing pomegranate with orgeat, orange juice, blue curaçao syrup and bitters.

Tatiana Pashtukova, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of ARTECHOUSE, said, "As the art and hospitality industries continue to struggle-but also try to adapt and reinvent themselves to provide new experiences and spaces for connection-we wanted to support, celebrate, and collaborate with our neighboring small business owners in NYC. Each establishment we've worked with has provided their own creative spin on this project, and made the AR drinks experience dynamic-and delicious."

Created with Noiland Collective, an Austin, TX-based digital art collective founded by Sven Ortel and Jesse Easdon, and powered by Epson, NHKS4220 Bar Illusion is installed in place of the AR bar on the mezzanine of ARTECHOUSE NYC and utilizes projection techniques to create a 3D hologram effect. The work brings Hopper's depiction of a downtown bar scene to life at a time when we are perhaps as affected by existential fears as we were in the early 1940s, when the United States had just entered WWII and a feeling of anxiety and concern about the future was pervasive. During troubled times, bars are a place for solace, community and conversation, but, due to current public health concerns, many of them are now closed, and some may never reopen.

NHKS4220 Bar Illusion plays out the scene in Nighthawks as a living moment, both in the past and present. Visitors can stand at the central point of the installation and see their silhouette integrated into the artwork. The name NHKS4220 is a play on the title of the original work and fuses the years 1942 and 2020, further bringing the past and present together.

"In conceiving new futures for art, ARTECHOUSE often builds bridges to the past. Artists, and images from specific historical moments, can help us navigate the unknown," said Sandro Keserelidze, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of ARTECHOUSE. "Meshing current and past moments of turmoil, and showing that life's small pleasures continue amidst anxiety, NHKS4220 Bar Illusion is pure ARTECHOUSE: innovation and art colliding to bend and clarify reality."

At its NYC location in Chelsea Market, ARTECHOUSE just opened Celestial, a popular, timely show that builds upon the venue's highly-acclaimed exploration of Pantone's 2020 Color of the Year: Classic Blue. ARTECHOUSE's Classic Blue-focused work kicked off with an immersive event developed for the Color of the Year reveal in December 2019 and continued with a blockbuster installation at ARTECHOUSE NYC at the start of 2020. Reviewing that earlier work, Mashable wrote that it "inspires introspection and agency at a time when we feel our powers usurped by complicated technological systems," adding it "points to how technology can, when put in good hands, foster understanding and expand our horizons to where our plain eyes can't see." USA Today put it succinctly: "When you step into the installation, the outside world melts away."

ARTECHOUSE presents Celestial, through January 3, at a moment when Classic Blue has new relevance, as New Yorkers reemerge and reconnect, nine months into the pandemic and at the end of a long, acrimonious election season. Celestial is part of Submerge by ARTECHOUSE, a new series of surreal immersive experiences spanning all three ARTECHOUSE locations: New York, DC and Miami. For this inaugural program, each space offers an elemental experience-earth, water and air-related to the unique qualities of Classic Blue, pushing the limits of our perception of the color. Celestial (opened October 22) draws on Classic Blue's inspirational qualities to take visitors beyond the skies. Inspired by blue's dependability, Crystalline in DC (opened October 15) examines the color's connection with earth and crystals through a journey that is both an adventure and a meditation-an exploration through an illusory, blue-hued castle. Miami's Aqueous (opened November 14), inspired by Classic Blue's calming qualities, explores the color's energy, textures and sensations in the context of water. In all three locations, virtual portals give visitors a window into the other two locations, fostering a sense of connection across ARTECHOUSE spaces and countering the isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and, often, by modern forms of communication. Submerge by ARTECHOUSE will be an ongoing series, continuing in 2021 and beyond.

New York and New Jersey locals save $5 per ticket when visiting ARTECHOUSE NYC Monday - Friday. Single and group tickets can be reserved in advance at artechouse.com/nyc

ARTECHOUSE NYC is located at the former boiler room of Chelsea Market, at 439 W 15th street.

Safety protocols that have been put in place by ARTECHOUSE include the following:

• New operating hours have been put in place to ensure sufficient time for cleaning and sanitation.

• Art space sessions continue to be limited in capacity along with split session start times to ensure seamless entry and proper social distancing.

• Mask or face coverings must be worn inside the art space at all times.

• Hand sanitizing stations have been added throughout the art space.

• Suggested safe distancing of 6 feet apart from others will be strictly enforced.

• Professional cleaning and sanitizing will take place prior to each daily opening.

• Hourly cleaning and sanitizing of the art space will be performed by team members.

• Visitors that are experiencing symptoms of illness will have the option of rebooking.