Heartwalk

Brooklyn-Based Firm Situ Studio was the winner of the 2013 Times Square Valentine Heart Design Invited Competition, a collaboration between Times Square Arts and the Design Trust for Public Space.

The design included New York and New Jersey boardwalk boards salvaged from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Situ Studio took inspiration from the collective experience of Hurricane Sandy and the love that binds people together during trying times. Whether it was the radically reconfigured landscapes, the compromised infrastructe, or the temporary solutions that emerged in the days and weeks that followed the storm, Hurricane Sandy confronted all New Yorkers and New Jerseyites by transforming the familiar.

Using boardwalk boards salvaged during Sandy’s aftermath—from Long Beach, NY, Sea Girt, NJ and Atlantic City, NJ—Heartwalk began as two ribbons of wooden planks that fluidly lifted from the ground to form a heart shaped enclosure in the middle of Duffy Square. The slatted construction, illuminated from within, provided varied views of the interior as visitors move around the perimeter of the installation. Visitors could enter the installation itself and literally stand in the heart of the world’s greatest city.

For the past eight years, the Times Square Alliance has invited architecture and design firms to submit proposals for a romantic public art installation celebrating Valentine’s Day in Times Square. 2013's winning design, Situ Studio’s Heartwalk was unveilled Tuesday, February 12, 2013 and remained on view until March 10, 2013.

For the first time in this annual competition, Times Square Arts collaborated with Design Trust for Public Space, to invite emerging architecture and design firms to submit proposals for consideration. Eight firms submitted proposals for the heart design.

To view other 2013 Times Square Valentine Heart Design finalists, please click here.