Renaissance man at Oculus
LAST week Scott
Sanders, who produced wonders like “The Color Purple” musical, placed the Sistine Chapel into the World Trade Center site. Thanks to him, Michelangelo’s frescoes are currently on display at the Oculus downtown. So how did he do it?
Sanders: “‘ The Last Judgment’ [is] 45-by-40 feet. Not many places to hang that. We nearly shrunk it because we weren’t sure we could hang it from the Oculus’ 80-foot ceiling.
“Engineers worked all night until 3 a.m. The Oculus is a train hub with 200,000 people a day passing through and when the first commuters came by, it caused a commotion even on Instagram. Look, it’s serendipitous. It’s proof that downtown has come back.”
OK, but why specifically this “Up Close: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel” exhibit?
“Seeing it actually in the Sistine Chapel, it’s only for a few minutes. Your head’s cranked back, not up close, you can’t see every detail. We have 34 frescoes photographed on large canvases, which people can examine as long as they like. We have audio guides in four languages. Also, I had a friend who managed to have the rights to do this.
“An Austrian cameraman was the photographer. We then enlarged them to lifesize, and they’ll next go on tour for 15 months.”
Or — until your next delayed train finally arrives.