Times Square Streets Getting A Makeover

NEW YORK—Behind the caution tape at the Times Square pedestrian mall are some big wavy blue patches painted on the ground that are the beginning of “Cool Water, Hot Island,” a temporary installation by NYC artist Molly Dilworth.

The increased hustle and bustle created by the installation between 42nd and 47th streets should be over by early August when the work should be finished.

For “Cool Water, Hot Island,” Dilworth took inspiration from infrared satellite images of Manhattan; the blue palette she chose is meant to suggest a cool river flowing through the city. “I hope the design makes people feel energized and curious,” she told The Epoch Times in an e-mail.

“I wanted to make a design that was calm, in contrast to the constant motion of the video billboards that ring the pedestrian plazas so viewers would feel comfortable slowing down and taking in the view,” she wrote.

Dilworth’s composition was the winning design in the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) competition to design a temporary “treatment to refresh the streetscape at the Times Square pedestrian plaza.”

Dilworth is otherwise known for her expansive, city rooftop paintings. One listed on her website looks like a carpet of pale green paint with patches of pink, blue, magenta, and cream, nearly covering a rooftop. The Times Square competition only allowed four colors, “graphic/simple enough to be easily made with stencils and a crew of street painters,” wrote Dilworth.

A permanent design for Times Square is in the works by Swedish/American architecture firm Snohetta. The city plans to reconstruct the pedestrian walk, sewers, and water mains as needed as well as completely reconstruct roadway on Broadway and 7th Avenue between 42nd and 47th streets, including cross streets.

“Cool Water, Hot Island” will cover five pedestrian walkways from 42nd and 47th streets and will run for 18 months, according to a DOT press release.