Allianz concludes Formula E race season in New York City with celebration of art and technology

As the Formula E Racing season draws to a close, Allianz, the global insurer also known for its asset management companies PIMCO and AllianzGI, chose the occasion of the double header race finale in NYC as a celebration of its Global Explorer Program.

Building on the company´s long term partnerships with The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the global ABB FIA Formula E Championship, Allianz creates an immersive virtual reality experience for museum visitors and race fans alike. Topping off the race season, the company invites New Yorkers to join the Explorer micro-conference – NYC edition at MoMA PS1 to discuss collaboration and co-creation between disciplines as science fact and science fiction begin to merge.

“Collaboration and co-creation between disciplines, people and partners enables innovative and sustainable solutions for the future. And with the support of our amazing global art and mobility partners MoMA and the ABB FIA Formula E, we have the unique opportunity to explore the visionary power of technology and art here in New York City and invite New Yorkers to join us in exploring the future,” says Jean-Marc Pailhol, Head of Group Market Management and Distribution at Allianz SE.

As ten race team teams battle it out against the iconic backdrop of the Manhattan skyline in a bid to be crowned Formula E season 2017/18 champion, Allianz offers visitors of the race in Red Hook, Brooklyn the possibility of exploring the future in a unique full body virtual reality flight experience. The cutting edge technology experience allows visitors to soar through four uniquely created virtual universes. Starting off in the New York of today, the flight takes explorers into the future - encountering many of the technologies that are already in place from manned drones to unmanned AI vehicles, before finally touching down on Mars of the future. Taking an unexpected turn, the experience allows the visitors to change perspectives and view the future through the eyes and work of artist Bodys Isek Kingelez as they sail through a precisely modelled virtual recreation of the artist’s spectacular, large-scale city sculpture Ville Fantôme (1996).

Allianz is the lead sponsor of the first U.S. retrospective devoted to the work of visionary Congolese artist Bodys Isek Kingelez (1948-2015). Currently on view at The Museum of Modern Art, Bodys Isek Kingelez: City Dreams features more than 30 of the artist’s “extreme maquettes—which take the form of intricate sculptures that suggest utopian possibilities for global urban sites. City Dreams includes an interactive virtual-reality experience of Kingelez’s largest cityscape, Ville Fantôme, developed by Third Pillar and in partnership with Allianz, which allows visitors to virtually traverse the imagined city. With this special feature, Allianz and MoMA present a unique opportunity to explore the incredible detail that characterizes the artist’s work, and gain new perspectives into his process and vision.

A deeper exploration of this theme will also be focus of the last Explorer micro-conference in NYC. The last conference of the season running alongside the Formula E 2017/2018 racing calendar will be the highlight of the popular series. Joining forces with global art partner MoMA and with media partner Futurism, a panel of visionaries and innovators from engineering, technology, art, governance, and design will come together to discuss who holds the key to progress. Taking place at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, Futurism's CEO Alex Klokus will guide a debate and discussion with an expert panel to investigate how the blending of disciplines can create more equitable, vibrant, and sustainable cities.

Exploring Formula E

Allianz is the Official Partner of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship - the world’s first fully-electric single-seater race series. A partner for the next five seasons, Allianz’s belief in the future of the race series and the future of mobility also extends to direct investment into the race. The Allianz E-Village is a fan area that provides entertainment for the whole family. All partners of Formula E build a range of displays and activities ranging from the latest electric and hybrid cars to racing simulators and brand experiences. It‘s a place to follow the E-prix action on the big stage and a place to meet and greet the drivers pre and post race.

Within the E Village, Allianz hosts the Allianz Explorer Zone: an immersive experience for all fans. Showcasing Allianz’ passion for innovation via interactive activations at the ePrix, the Allianz Explorer Zone uses cutting edge concepts and futuristic technologies truly exceptional moments with the brand. In New York, Allianz invites guests to explore the future by offering simultaneous full body VR flight experiences for up to four people at the same time. Users have the chance to communicate with and see each other while flying in fully customized universes while commanding their VR flight experience instinctively with arms and hands. Starting off in the New York of today, the flight takes explorers through the megacity, addressing dynamic energy but also significant challenges like traffic. Imaging what the future may look like is part of the second universe. During this section of the experience, explorers will catch a glimpse of some of the future innovations in progress today. Among them manned drone taxis and AI race cars and self-driving public vehicles – all of which the Global Insurer and Asset Manager actively engages in. Before exploring beyond Earth and soaring above Mars, 

the flight takes an unexpected turn and sails through a virtual recreation of visionary artist Bodys Isek Kingelez´s sculpture Ville Fantôme, modelled precisely after Kingelez’s work, allowing visitors to experience the utopian interpretation of an imagined future by the late artist.

Allianz is the lead sponsor of the exhibition Bodys Isek Kingelez: City Dreams at MoMA, featuring more than 30 of the artist’s “extreme maquettes” and on view at the Museum until January 2019.

For more information on the partnership with MoMA please visit:

https://www.allianz.com/en/about_us/sports-culture/moma/allianz-moma/

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/3889?locale=de

The Explorer Micro-Conferences:

Kicked off alongside the first Formula E race in Hong Kong, the Allianz Explorer Micro-Conference are the conscious effort to connect with local innovators, soul searchers, business drivers and visionaries and discuss the future of mobility in their urban surroundings. Ranging from topics like the impact of AI on cultural heritage of cities like Rome to the problem solving approaches with big data and sharing economy models for Mexico City, the Explorer Micro-Conferences are open to the public through pre-
registration, seats are limited.

The New York City Explorer Micro-Conference will be the last conference of the Formula E racing season and a true highlight in the series. In collaboration with Allianz´s global art partner MoMA and the conference media partner Futurism, prolific thought leaders debate the future of urban living and the need for new visions and ways of working as science fact and science fiction merge. For more information and free registration sign up here:

https://explore.allianz.com/newyorkcity

The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with more than 88 million retail and corporate customers. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing over 650 billion euros on behalf of its insurance customers while our asset managers Allianz Global Investors and PIMCO manage an additional 1.4 trillion euros of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we hold the leading position for insurers in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2017, over 140,000 employees in more than 70 countries achieved total revenue of 126 billion euros and an operating profit of 11 billion euros for the group.

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