"The Hoerengracht" (1983–8), by American artists Ed Kienholz (1927–1994) and Nancy Reddin Kienholz (born 1943), will transform the National Gallery’s Sunley Room into a walk-through evocation of Amsterdam's Red Light District. 

It will be the first time an installation of this kind has been exhibited at the National Gallery. The Hoerengracht is one of the most significant pieces of installation art made by the Kienholzes before Ed’s death in the mid-1990s.

Intense and often shocking, the groundbreaking installations – developed by Ed in the 1960s and continued in collaboration with his wife Nancy from 1972 – connect both to the art of the past and to more contemporary developments. Artists such as Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy, Mike Nelson, the Chapman brothers, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst have all produced work that is in a direct line of descent from Kienholz. 

Made in the Kienholzes’ Berlin studio, “The Hoerengracht” (‘Whore’s Canal’), a classic example of assemblage art, breaks down the barrier between art gallery space and the real world by using objects from everyday life to address the theme of prostitution in a direct and unadulterated way. 

The highly polemical street scene explores the idea of ‘love for sale’ – a theme that has been interpreted by artists over many centuries. Near to the evocative installation, a selection of 17th century Dutch paintings from the National Gallery’s own collection will be displayed to create a historic perspective. These will include Jan Steen’s “Interior of an Inn,” Godfried Schalcken’s “A Man Offering Gold and Coins to a Girl” and Pieter de Hooch’s “A Musical Party in a Courtyard.” 

Nancy Reddin Kienholz said, “’The Hoerengracht’ is fashioned after the Red Light District area, the Herengracht (“Gentlemen’s Canal”). It is a piece for voyeurs. As the viewer walks the streets of our red light district, he or she discovers girls in windows and doorways who are offering their bodies for sale. There is music to be heard, and corners to traverse where more whores are offered.” 

She continued, “Prostitution is the oldest profession and no laws can overcome this fact. I would only hope that 'The Hoerengracht' is a kind portrait of the profession.” 

The work was a return to a theme first tackled by Ed Kienholz in his earliest environmental sculpture – the now legendary “Roxy’s” (1961) – named after a real brothel in Nevada. “The Hoerengracht” addresses issues of sordid sex, social crime and human folly. It revisits a theme ubiquitous in art of the past held in the National Gallery’s own collection but here the setting has changed to a sleazy mid-1980s European street scene. 

Recreating the glowing windows and mysterious doorways of Amsterdam's claustrophobic streets, The Hoerengracht’s half-dressed, garishly lit mannequins enact a theatre of grim sociology, giving the viewer a peek into the seedy underbelly of the Red Light District. “The Hoerengracht” functions as a composite street of the whole neighbourhood, creating a walk-through environment that places particular emphasis on external objects like a client’s bike, dustbins and street signs. 

The installation manipulates the viewer’s emotions: he or she does not gain entrance into the girls’ rooms but is forced to walk down the street like a typical client. One whore stands in the hallway whilst another sprawls herself across a stairway, presumably on the way up to a second-floor room. The remainder lounge in their windows or spaces, inviting men to come inside. 

The texture of the assemblage is unpleasant and the dungeon-like window façades of “The Hoerengracht” frame the faces of the girls, whose mannequin heads are in turn surrounded by tin cases. Their breasts are framed in perspex boxes, further emphasizing the fragmentation of the female body by consumer culture. At the same time, however, their hardened stance within dark doorways implies that they are aware of – and in control of – their condition. 

Nielsen Media Research's new study finds that 65 percent of mall traffic views the Smart Screens in the Adspace Digital Mall Network, up from 47 percent as seen in the same study done in April 2007. Overall impressions increased 30 percent versus 2007.

"This is the second audience study that Nielsen has conducted for Adspace, making it a powerful tool for tracking progress on key audience metrics," said Bill Ketcham, EVP, chief marketing officer, Adspace Networks.

"The dramatic increase in the percent of mall traffic viewing the Smart Screens is particularly noteworthy, and suggests that consumers are more engaged with the medium."

Adspace attributes the increase in viewing to a number of improvements made over the last two years. More engaging editorial content was rolled out in response to extensive consumer research. In addition to the Today's Top Ten program, which highlights the best deals in the mall that day, the network has added "Essentials", a collection of seasonal items, and newly launched "Trend Alert", which showcases the must-have trends of the season.

"The content has always been a key differentiator for Adspace," Ketcham continued.

"We have conducted a significant amount of research to understand the mall shoppers, and give them programming that captures their attention."

Adspace has also significantly increased the caliber of its advertisers including strong participation from Hollywood studios, consumer packaged goods brands and telecommunications companies. Importantly, all content and most advertising is now shown in high definition.

"The viewer only sees 25 percent of the color spectrum with standard definition content," said Keith Kelsen, author of upcoming book Unleashing the Power of Digital Signage - Content Strategies for the 5th Screen. 

"High definition delivers 75 percent of the color spectrum, and the higher resolution makes the screen appear to be a natural 'window' to the world, enhancing its memorability."

Further, the Nielsen study shows commercial awareness increasing dramatically among total mall visitors. Ads from Sony Pictures, Claritin, Olay and Estee Lauder were tested and the average awareness score increased 44 percent versus 2007.

"This landmark study will provide additional comfort to those brand marketers who are aggressively moving dollars from traditional television to our network," said Dominick Porco, chairman and CEO, Adspace Networks.

"Our continued progress in delivering higher levels of viewing and commercial awareness makes our value proposition even more compelling versus television."

The new study also brings to light compelling improvement in CPMs. With impressions increasing 30 percent, the network's cost per thousand viewers declines from $4.89 to $3.76 against people age 12+, based on the current rate card.

Further, the study measured the audience metrics recommended by the Outdoor Video Advertising Bureau, a forum created for interested advertisers, agencies, place-based video networks and their suppliers. OVAB defines an impression as a person in a screen's viewing zone that notices the screen and is in the zone for a length of time equal to the loop length (i.e., in a position to see every commercial in the loop). According to Nielsen, Adspace generates 4.9 impressions per viewer, and 3.2 impressions per average mall visitor, representing a 49 percent increase versus the 2007 Nielsen study.

On-site exit interviews were conducted in six cities with malls that are representative of the Adspace Digital Mall Network footprint. Each mall was visited during three different dayparts and resulted in 703 interviews conducted among persons age 12+ selected at random. The fieldwork was conducted in September 2009.