Mandela Day

DIRECTor of Content and media 

LOCATION: Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Hall, New York.

DURATION: Temporary installation. 2 weeks in July, 2009.

CLIENT: 46664 / Nelson Mandela Foundation.

VISITORS: 420,000 in 2 weeks.

ROLE: I was in charge of managing the project and also directed all media and content, writing the script and developing the storyboard. I was Director of Content and Media and Project Manager for Ralph Appelbaum Associates and later worked directly with the foundation.

Mandela Day was an initiative to inform, remember and celebrate Nelson Mandela's life and legacy in different cities in the world. The first one was in London; the second one in New York and the last one was planned for Madrid. These events included an exhibit installation, a gala dinner, a major concert with multiple musicians and singers, and different educational and volunteer activities.

An essential part of the worldwide campaign to celebrate Mandela Day, the installation presented Nelson Mandela’s story as an inspirational call to social action. Located in Grand Central Terminal’s main hall, six large-scale glowing elements shed light on aspects of Nelson Mandela’s life using powerful images, graphics, evocative stories, and sound. The front of each element conveyed one of Nelson Mandela’s values. The back provided information about Mandela’s life, curated personal stories, and excerpts from his speeches. Visitors were invited to write their personal messages in some of these back panels.

At one end of the Hall, a large-scale LED screen showed an eight-minute film about Mandela using animated graphics and text as well as historical and contemporary footage. At the other end of the hall, a stage was built for live events and lectures. The installation’s visual identity was created around evocative messages and ideas.