MILAGRO | PAYAPA

This July, two dreamlike digital landscapes merge across the screens of Times Square in Victoria Fard’s MILAGRO | PAYAPA. Within the intricate hybrid world the artist has coined MILAGRO (“miracle” in Filipino and Spanish) lives an interconnected ecosystem and idyllic reverie of lush biodiversity, pockets of flowering plants, wild creatures, and towering skyscrapers. The imagery representing PAYAPA (“peaceful” in Filipino), is inspired by Fard’s heritage. Created with forms echoing an archipelago, PAYAPA is a lush village of wooden kubos, hosting prodigious arowana fish, native inhabitants and springs enclosed in a mosaic of planetary corals.

Created with generative processes and digital simulations, and framed by the stark skyline of a manmade metropolis, MILAGRO | PAYAPA teases a surreal utopian landscape in which nature and urban life not only coexist, but thrive in harmony.

“I hope these worlds inspire us to celebrate the wonders of nature and remind us of our role as stewards to care for our home, the earth, with gratitude. When we protect and preserve our world there is opportunity for growth, renewal and endless possibilities.” — Victoria Fard

Victoria Fard is an award-winning artist based in Canada specializing in architecture and digital technologies. Rooted in her own mixed Filipino and Persian heritage, Fard's imagined worlds present a visual and immersive experience that invites connection, exploration and reflection. Fard integrates elements produced with digital and generative tools to create fantastical 3D worlds and sculptures. Her work explores the themes of nature and heritage with the hope of preserving them and connecting people through immersive forms of storytelling. Fard’s work has been featured and exhibited at The Ontario Science Centre, Art Basel Miami, Frieze L.A., and at galleries and immersive spaces in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Denver, Toronto, Amsterdam and Zürich.

Midnight Moment is made possible by the Times Square Advertising Coalition, ABC SuperSign, American Eagle, Branded Cities, Clear Channel, Disney Store, Express, Levi's, LG, Luxottica Group S.p.A., Morgan Stanley, Microsoft, New Tradition, Sensory Interactive, Sephora, Sherwood Equities, Show + Tell, Silvercast, Swatch, T-Mobile, and JCDecaux.

Major support of Times Square Arts is provided by Morgan Stanley. Additional program support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional support for Midnight Moment is provided by Meta and the Times Square Advertising Coalition.