UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Brian Alfred, associate professor of art in Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, has collaborated with ZAZ10TS, a cultural initiative that presents contemporary art within one of the world’s most iconic urban intersections, to present “The Ultras!,” a video installation that explores the emotion, identity and collective energy of sports culture.
“The Ultras!” is a collection of rotoscoped images of Alfred’s artwork depicting crowds at sporting events, typically called “Ultras.” Rotoscoping is an animation technique that consists of drawing or tracing over an image to create smooth frame-by-frame animations.
The animations will run through June 23 on the ZAZ10TS video boards, which sit above the corner of 41st and Broadway at 10 Times Square.
After the Times Square animation closes, “Plus Ultra” will open on June 25 at Miles McEnery Gallery. “Plus Ultra” will feature more than 30 of Alfred’s acrylic on canvas paintings as well as a video display of the Times Square animation. Coinciding with the FIFA World Cup, the exhibition will run through Aug. 15.
This is the third time that Alfred’s work is being featured on video boards in Times Square; once prior with ZAZ10TS and once with Creative Time’s 59th Minute.
Both the Times Square animation and the exhibition delve into the fervor of rooting for a team by inviting viewers to consider the profound connections forged within sports culture while acknowledging the exhilarating yet precarious nature of collective identity, Alfred explained.
“I’m interested in how people relate to the idea of group fervor or passion,” Alfred said. “It can be a beautiful, community building thing, and it can also be a bit scary or troubling. It reflects the greater societal issues we face all the time.”
An opening reception for “Plus Ultra” will take place on June 25 from 5-7 p.m. at Miles McEnery. Alfred will host a panel discussion at the gallery with Bayern Munich Football Club in July with the time and date to be determined.