Times Square Arts and Van Alen Institute unveiled a heart-shaped arrangement of periscopes, the winning Valentine’s Day installation, Feb. 10 for the sixth year.
“Van Alen Institute has a remarkable reputation of advancing innovation in architecture and design,” stated Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance. “Fifteen years ago, they ran the international juried competition that found us the now iconic design of the Red Steps of Duffy Square. This year, they found Young Projects’ “Match-Maker” installation, which will entice visitors to find love in the Crossroads of the World.”
Playing on astrological signs, the “Match-Maker” heart installation unveiled in Times Square Feb. 10 will be on display for a month through March 10. The installation, by Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary design firm Young Projects, is located at Father Duffy Square, between 46th and 47th Streets.
“Young Projects’ “Match-Maker” is an interactive, engaging object perfectly suited to Times Square,” stated Tom Finkelpearl, Executive Director of Queens Museum and Selection Jury Member. “Can a sculpture act as a dating service? We will see. Even if not, Young Projects’ reinterpretation of the heart—not as a bodily organ but as a place for connection and romance—is refreshing and original.”
Bryan Young, principal at Young Projects and project designer, believes in the love-at-first-sight he hopes the project will bring to Time Square’s visitors.
“In an era of digital communication, our design takes a decidedly analog approach to viscerally connect strangers and reaffirm compatibility between old partners,” Young stated. Peering through any one periscope, the viewer sees the four most compatible astrological signs on the other sides.
Previous winners of the Times Square Valentine Heart Design include: Situ Studio (2013); BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) (2012); Freecell (2011); Moorhead & Moorhead (2010); and Gage / Clemenceau Architects (2009).
