Agency—Agency
HEART RISING
Constructed from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic panels in a delirious mixture of reds and pinks, HEART RISING speaks not just to love for romantic partners, friends, and families, but also to love for New York, the Earth, and the environment. The egg-crate construction pumps up Milton Glaser’s 1976 “I HEART NY” logo—the quintessential heart of New York City—from a two-dimensional graphic to a volumetric, three-dimensional shape, rotated 25 degrees and submerged into the ground. Its form and use of recycled plastic offer multiple readings of the project as it relates to the climate crisis: the heart could be sinking under a rising water line or, more hopefully, could be buoyantly emerging from the ground. Emblematic of New York City’s optimism and resourcefulness, HEART RISING is an agent in raising awareness about the challenges of the climate crisis and a signal of hope for the future.
Hou de Sousa
Cosmo
Cosmo is a translucent constellation that showcases artwork made by folks all over the world. The project's undulating steel plate wall defines intimate pockets of space while establishing a firm footprint. Perforated with iconic apertures, these openings frame the visiting public while also providing unique views of the surrounding context. At its core, Cosmo is an agent of love that celebrates society’s full spectrum and strives to narrow the distances between us.
Isometric
Choose Love
Remaining silent about hate makes us all vulnerable. A bold typographic declaration on this design tells viewers to stop hate and choose love, providing a tangible, mirrored space where people can embrace their lovers and their fellow human beings. Choose Love frames visitors in the energy and diversity of Times Square — a place where all kinds of love are welcomed and celebrated—and reflects those values back to onlookers. Audiences can engage with Choose Love as an urban threshold and dramatic backdrop, an intimate enclosure, and a mirror for selfies.
Office III
Open Your Heart
Open Your Heart features a squiggled, heart-shaped perimeter enclosed with a beaded, metal curtain, providing a room-like interior for sitting and hanging out. Resembling a colorful doodle, the heart outline extends into a loop shape within the interior to serve as seating for visitors. Open Your Heart shimmers, billows, and glistens, playfully elevating the colorful palette of Times Square and the people who pass through it.
Other Means
SIGN OFF THE TIMES
SIGN OFF THE TIMES pays homage to the Times Square Zipper, the historic electronic sign which encircled One Times Square as one of the world’s first real-time news displays. It takes its scale from the original Zipper and its triangular form from One Times Square — but where the Zipper’s electronic messages faced out, those of SIGN OFF THE TIMES face inwards, allowing those who enter the enclosed spectacle to be engulfed in its glow while they digitally submit their own messages. By inverting this sign, the sides facing the square reveal the structures and catwalks that are typically hidden from sight, which here become a place to sit and bathe in the bounty of spotlights around the base. SIGN OFF THE TIMES invites Times Square to turn inwards and take a closer look at its overwhelming self.
JANE ♥ JENNY ♥ KEITH ♥ MARSHALL ♥ SHELLIE ♥ DOUG ♥ LEIGH ♥ GUY ♥ ALFREDO ♥ LYNN