“POWER TO THE PEOPLE!” is based on the desire by ITP Faculty John Henry Thompson to invite members of the Downtown Brooklyn community to be curious about and engage with the interactive art developed at ITP.  John Henry Thompson’s installation gives the passing public the power to engage with the installations through their personal devices.

In celebration of Black History for the month of February 2024 through March 2024, ITP Professor John Henry Thompson, in collaboration with Ken Granderson presents an interactive multi screen work featuring a meticulously curated set of 365 short form educational videos. These videos document and uplift Black American history and can be found on the website https://blackfacts.com where a nugget of African American history and culture is highlighted each day of the year.

In groundbreaking new technology developed by Professor Thompson, viewers passing by on the street or entering the lobby can use their phones to control the https://blackfacts.com content on any one of six large digital monitors. By scanning the QR code on any of the monitors, viewers can use their phones as a type of “remote control” to navigate through the 365 Black Facts videos, and have the content they choose show up on the screen of their choice.  “POWER TO THE PEOPLE!”

NationTime – ELUCID – BETAMAX

NYU/ITP faculty Ali Santana also celebrates Black History for the month of February 2024 through March 2024 with a public facing work titled "NationTime – ELUCID – BETAMAX" which is presented in the windows at the 370 Jay Street “Garage” near the subway entrance just off Willoughby Street.  Viewers are invited to scan the QR code on the Nation Time screen to synchronize the video in the window with their phone and enjoy the video soundtrack. 

About the Installations:  The software driving these publicly interactive  installations is developed by Professor John Henry Thompson. Click here to see short videos of the exhibits at night.

Thank You

This project was made possible through the generous support and help from the following people and departments:

NYU-ITP

Dan O’Sullivan <dan.osullivan@nyu.edu>

Rob Ryan <rr69@nyu.edu>

Marlon Evans <me42@nyu.edu>

Tyler Peppel <tyler.peppel@nyu.edu>

Shindy Johnson <smj2@nyu.edu>

Video documentation resources provided by Center for Faculty Advancement: 

Charlton D McIlwain <cdm1@nyu.edu>,

Usheevii King <uk5@nyu.edu> 

Video crew:

Jonathon Valle <jv1345@nyu.edu>

Cesar Rodriguez <cr108@nyu.edu>

blackfacts.com : 

Ken Granderson <ken@blackfacts.com>