By Populous, Sphere Studio
The 54,000-square-metre LED screen, the largest of its kind, was emblazoned as part of a special show before its official opening in September.
Described as “living architecture”, the MSG Sphere is designed by the architecture studio Populous for the company behind New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG).
Once complete, it will host live entertainment and concerts while showcasing a wide range of visual content across its exterior. While breaking records for its vast LED screen, which is named the Exosphere, it is also the world’s largest spherical building.
“The Exosphere is more than a screen or a billboard – it is living architecture, and unlike anything that exists anywhere in the world,” said MSG Sphere senior vice president Guy Barnett.
“Last night’s show provided a glimpse of the Exosphere’s captivating power, and the possibilities for artists, partners, and brands to create compelling and impactful stories to connect with audiences in new ways.”
The special Independence Day show began with a graphic reading Hello World, which had been captured by passersby earlier this week when tests were run on the screen.
This was followed by a variety of striking animations ranging from colourful fireworks and underwater scenes to visuals of stars and lunar surfaces.
“Sphere’s Exosphere is a 360-degree canvas for brand storytelling that will be seen around the world,” reflected MSG Sports COO David Hopkinson.
“The extraordinary experiences we can create are only limited by imagination, and we’re thrilled to finally share with the world the spectacular potential of the Exosphere.”
The Exosphere is formed of approximately 1.2 million pucks, which each contain 48 individual LEDs that can display 256 million different colours.
It will have a capacity of 20,000 people, including 17,600 seats and a further 2,400 standing spaces. U2 is set to be the first band to play there when it opens in September.
While the building is designed by Populous, its screen has been developed by immersive content studio Sphere Studio . The Fourth of July display was developed by Sphere Studios’ in-house creative team.
