NY 🖤 NY 🖤 NY
Project Type: Public Installation, Competition
Competition hosted by: Times Square Arts
“Life is at its most rewarding, productive, and pleasant when large numbers of people understand, appreciate, and seek out interclass contact and communication conducted in a mode of good will . . . . Contact is the conversation that starts in line at the grocery counter with the person behind you...It is the pleasantries exchanged with a neighbor who has brought her chair out to take some air on the stoop. It is the discussion that begins with the person next to you at the bar.”
Samuel R. Delaney, Times Square Red Times Square Blue, p.111, 123
New York City is a place defined by people - without them, it is a shell of sidewalks and steel and light, empty of it’s vital energy. It is a city that welcomes all people, but perhaps expects too much of us, the speed of life and expectations can weigh anyone down. Despite that, there is something in this great city that engenders pride, grit, kindness, and love.
In the contact rich site of Times Square, New York loves New York loves New York tells the story of love of a city, love for a stranger, love for a friend, love for a partner, and love for eachother. It invites New Yorkers and visitors alike, for a moment of pause in the hectic heart of the city: to come together around the table for a subtle glance, quick conversation, or a heartfelt declaration.
A heart motif is split into three components each inviting a different scale of interaction: a bar height table engaging groups of friends and strangers, a lower table inviting an intimate conversation for two, and a tall booth for self love, reflection, and a projection of kindness out into the world. The piece invites engagement from all parts of Duffy square. The view from the top of the red steps reveals the fragmented heart, while each elevation welcomes playful exploration.
The sculpture comes to life with the presence of people but also literally with the energy of people as the thermo-chromic material changes color when warmed through body heat and hot beverages. Once the surface of the sculpture reaches above 54 degrees fahrenheit, the color changes from blue to pink. Little notes on the surface instruct you to engage with the piece through touch or conversation with a stranger.
