Turn Up the Heat, Miami, FL

TURN UP THE HEAT
1999, American Airlines Arena
Miami, FL

In 1998, Christopher Janney was commissioned to create the scoreboard for the new American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat basketball team. Unveiled New Year’s Eve, 2000, it was designed as both a visually dynamic form and a piece of “performance sculpture.”

Unlike other arena scoreboards which are visually massive and solid, this piece is composed of two aluminum geodesic spheres, one inside the other, making it strong, lightweight and visually transparent. Thirty feet in diameter, the piece resembles a giant sea anemone with tentacles spreading out in all directions. The “tentacles” hold the several clocks along with the replay, statistics, and advertising boards. Constructed    in a brushed aluminum finish, the piece is illuminated by computer-controlled lights, changing color over time.

An integral part of the opening ceremonies before each Heat game, Turn Up The Heat is crowd-interactive—changing scoreboard colors from dark to light as the crowd raises the volume of their voices—culminating with a dynamic fire-works display.

Project credits:
Jamie Coccolutto/Project Manager; Will Edwards/Sprockets Music; Jay Cross/Miami Heat; Bernardo Fort/Laurinda Spear/ Arquitectonica; Pauline Winnick; Wendell Wendell/Starnet; Derek Bloom, AIA; Dave O’Brien/Mystic Scenic Studios; Mark Wong/MIDI Programmer.; Beth Dunlop; Cameron Curtis.

Project sponsors:
Martin Lighting; StarNet; Apple Computer.