Audi Urban Future Initiative Arrives in New York City May 7 through 9

HERNDON, Va. and NEW YORK., May 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

• Premiere of the "Audi Urban Future: Project New York" exhibit  explores how Manhattan would look in 2030
• Exhibit debuts as part of the New Museum's "Festival of Ideas for the New City" in downtown Manhattan
• Series of discussions on urban mobility to take place throughout the weekend

The Audi Urban Future Initiative – a long-term project that brings together different visions on how mobility, urban living and the role of the transportation will change in the coming years – debuts in New York City at Openhouse Gallery, May 7 through 9.  In a 50-foot interactive exhibit called "Project New York," five emerging NYC-based architects will present concepts of a futurist Manhattan as part of the New Museum's first-ever "Festival of Ideas for the New City" weekend event in downtown Manhattan.  The weekend will also feature interactive panels and discussions with architects and designers.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110504/DE95739 )

"With the Audi Urban Future Initiative we as a globally operating company are exercising social responsibility," explains Peter Schwarzenbauer, board member of AUDI AG for marketing and sales. "In order to convert visions into reality more quickly, our experts are taking part in the debate about the city of the future. At the same time we are networking with experts from other disciplines – and in this way playing our part in shaping the urban future," continues Schwarzenbauer.

"The years ahead may well define new understandings about the future of urban living and mobility," says Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. "So it is a privilege for Audi to kick off a discussion on diverse visions of this future here in New York through the work of the Audi Urban Future Initiative."

"Audi Urban Future: Project New York" envisions a new city based on the award-winning concepts from the inaugural Audi Urban Future Award – hosted in 2010 in Venice, Italy – including the winning entry by J. MAYER H. Architects from Berlin.  The project not only offers a glimpse into what the city of the future could look like, but also sparks a conversation around innovation, new ways of communicating, never-before-seen concepts of living spaces, new versions of roadways and infrastructure solutions for the future. 

To bring to life these concepts in New York City, Audi partnered with Architizer, one of the leading online communities for architects, to identify five up-and-coming architecture practices, including LEONG LEONG, MATTER PRACTICE, ABRUZZO BODZIAK ARCHITECTS, labDORA and THEVERYMANY, LLC.  These five firms have taken the visions of the architects involved in the Audi Urban Future Award 2010 and applied them to the City of New York, resulting in a 50-foot interactive model of Manhattan in the year 2030.

Alongside a view of how the city of the future might look, the project also initiates wide-ranging discussions about urban development, infrastructure and research into the future. "Rather than a competition, Project New York acts as a laboratory to exploit the potential of collaboration, contingency and dissemination to reach beyond the limitations of the single idea, the individual city, and our present time," commented Troy Conrad Therrien and Christopher Barley, who are curating the project for Architizer.

The five original concepts from 2010 Audi Urban Future Award in Venice, Italy, also will be on display at Openhouse Gallery, including entries from:  Alison Brooks Architects, Big-Bjarke Ingels Group, Cloud9 Architecture Studio, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, J. MAYER H. Architects and Standardarchitecture.

Audi and the "Festival of Ideas for the New City"

The Audi Urban Future Initiative debuts in New York City as part of the New Museum's "Festival of Ideas for the New City," a major new collaborative initiative involving scores of downtown organizations, from large universities to arts institutions and community groups, working together to effect change. The Festival is a first for New York and will harness the power of the creative community to imagine the future city and explore the ideas destined to shape it. Audi is supporting the Festival as lead sponsor.

Events that will take place throughout the weekend include:

• Audi Urban Future: Project New York -- The 50-foot interactive model of Manhattan in 2030 will be on display at Openhouse Gallery (201 Mulberry St. in New York City) on Saturday, May 7 from Noon to 7 p.m., and Sunday, May, 8 and Monday, May 9 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. To find out more about the Audi Urban Future Initiative, visit www.audi-urban-future-initiative.com.
• Draw Think Tank: Emerging Territories of Movement 15x180 Manifestos – During the Festival, Audi will join with the innovative architectural institution Storefront for Art and Architecture and interdisciplinary thinkers to develop approaches and solutions for urban planning. The event will feature a collective sketch session by means of an iPad app, with the images projected onto the walls of the event venue in real time. "Draw Think Tank" will take place on Saturday, May 7 at 5 p.m. at SpaceBuster. For further information about Storefront for Art and Architecture, visit www.storefrontnews.org.
• Audi Urban Future: Project New York Talks – Architizer and Audi will host a discussion forum with important pioneering New York thinkers from the fields of design and architecture. Together the participants will consider new findings and practical implementation in relation to future-oriented urbanity and mobility. The talk takes place on Monday, May 9 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Openhouse Gallery (201 Mulberry St. in New York City). For further information about the project and its participants, visit www.architizer.com.

For further information about the "Festival of Ideas for the New City," visit www.festivalofideasnyc.com.

About Audi of America

Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. During 2010 Audi was the top performing luxury brand in Europe, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Over the next few years, AUDI AG will invest nearly $16 billion on new products and technologies. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

About the New Museum

The New Museum is the only museum in New York City exclusively devoted to contemporary art. Founded in 1977, the New Museum was conceived as a center for exhibitions, information, and documentation about living artists from around the world.

From its beginnings as a one-room office on Hudson Street to the inauguration of its first freestanding, dedicated building, designed by SANAA, on the Bowery in 2007, the New Museum continues to be a hub of new art and new ideas and is a place of ongoing experimentation about what art and arts institutions can be in the twenty-first century.

SOURCE Audi of America, Inc.