Times Square Arts is pleased to announce that Housing workshop Flowering is the winner of this year’s annual award To like Times Square Design Competition, presented in partnership with The Museum of Arts and Design and made by IDEKO. Flowering offers a moment of levity, inviting the audience to wander beneath a floating cloudscape and among the fluctuating heart-shaped shadows cast through the structure’s intimate canopy by the ever-changing colors and lights of Times Square. Flowering plays at Father Duffy Square between 46th and 47th Streets with special Valentine’s Day events scheduled for February 14, including vow renewals, surprise proposals and a wedding ceremony. The installation will remain visible until March 9. Habitat Workshop is an architecture and urban design practice focused on promoting design as an agent of community change represented by the designer Jin Yang.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to create a project that recognizes human frailty and strength, especially after a few years of struggling to care for ourselves and others in this overwhelming and disruptive world. Several sections of connected pipes form a floating cloud with a heart-shaped core blossoming from the center of each section, and the aggregate of each interlocking connector reinforces the overall structure. BLOOM is an offering of hope and a reminder that we must find vividness in the midst of darkness,” said Jieun Yang from the habitat workshop.

For thirteen years, Times Square Arts has held this design competition to applaud the work of architecture and design firms and address themes of love during the month of February in Times Square. Now in its 14th year, the competition serves as a beacon of collective resilience and provides a sense of stability to an ever-changing city, especially during times of prolonged global isolation. Located in front of the Red Steps each year, the competition continues Times Square’s commitment to celebrating great design – a commitment exemplified by the Red Steps themselves, which have won numerous architectural awards.

“Flowering is a light reminder that we are all connected in some way, and speaks to the power of the collective to uplift one another – an intervention that channels the everyday elements of Times Square into a space of lightness and connection,” said Jean Cooney, artistic director of Times Square.

Flowering consists of a series of interconnected red and white PVC pipes, grouped together to create a pixelated circular roof plane with circles extending downward at different heights. The project serves as a gathering point positioned between the two statues in Duffy Square and takes the form of a floating cloudscape filled with arched portals that allow light to stream in from all directions. The structure channels the lights of Times Square and rains down rays of light that greet visitors once they enter the structure, reminiscent of fleeting moments of happiness and joy that linger even in the dark. The project seeks liveliness as a call to love and responsibility, just as constant grounding and cores are needed to lift the cloud-like connective form.

“MAD is thrilled to partner with Times Square Arts this year to support the installation of Habitat Workshop designer Jieun Yang. Flowering. FloweringThe matrix-like canopy and changing light patterns will provide the viewer with a transport experience amidst the hustle and bustle of Times Square,” said Elissa Auther, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and Chief Curator William and Mildred Lasdon at the Museum of Arts and Design.

The night, Flowering is enhanced by the billboards and surrounding buildings, which project an ever-changing spectrum of colors onto the project. The grouped pipes work together to bloom from the center in a stunning arrangement of pixelated heart formations. The pattern changes direction and lengthens and shortens throughout the day, existing in a liminal space between change and constant.

The project reveals the need for the forces of rooting to find lightness; just as every heart blossoms from the center and creates the thick core to hold on, we must find our core within ourselves and our networks to reach out. The strength of the project structure lies in the fact that each piece is a vital connector.

Flowering is a tribute to the collective love for humanity – a shared experience that creates a sheltered canopy in the middle of Times Square – for all New Yorkers and visitors. It embodies human frailty and strength, reminding us that we are all connected, each with the responsibility to uplift each other to float together.

“Times Square is the place in America’s town, where New Yorkers and visitors continue to gather – whether to celebrate, make daily connections or visit the sights – and we are thrilled to have a momentary sanctuary. created in honor of the love for bringing together the businesses and communities that make this neighborhood the unique and vibrant place it is,” said Tom Harris, President of Times Square Alliance.

A+A+A, bioMATTERS Studio, Devang Arvind Shah and Studio Fierro were invited to submit entries to the competition alongside Habitat Workshop. In addition to Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of Arts and Design Elissa Auther, the competition’s selection committee included Carson Chan, director of the Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and Natural Environment at MoMA; Kendal Henry, Deputy Commissioner, Public Art, New York Department of Cultural Affairs; Kim Yao, AIA, Director, Bureau of Architecture Research, et al.

Flowering is the epicenter of Valentine’s Day activity in Times Square, including weddings, surprise proposals and a vow renewal ceremony. For more information or for those who wish to participate, visit: www.TSQ.org/Love. EventBrite submissions here. EventBrite weddings here.

ABOUT TIMES SQUARE ARTS
Times Square Arts, the public art program of the Times Square Alliance, collaborates with contemporary artists and cultural institutions to experience and interact with one of the world’s most iconic urban places. Across the Square’s electronic billboards, plazas, vacant areas and popular venues, as well as the Alliance’s online landscape, Times Square Arts invites leading contemporary creators, such as Mel Chin, Tracey Emin , Jeffrey Gibson, Ryan McGinley, Yoko Ono and Kehinde Wiley. , to help the public see Times Square in a new way. Times Square has always been a place of risk, innovation and creativity, and the arts program ensures that these qualities remain central to the neighborhood’s unique identity.

ABOUT THE HABITAT WORKSHOP
Habitat Workshop is an award-winning architecture and urban design practice that promotes design as a framework for positive change. With projects ranging from urban design to homes and exhibitions, Habitat Workshop creates spaces, objects, ideas and interactions that activate human connections, build resilience and reveal the intrinsic value of a place. Habitat Workshop combines research and practice to continually refine ways of knowing, asking, learning and doing through collaborations and experiences. And his work explores the extraordinary potential of the ordinary and embraces constraints as the foundation for creative solutions.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers in all creative fields, showcasing artists, designers and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill to their work. Since the Museum was founded in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of manufacturing and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum’s curatorial program draws on a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize an interdisciplinary approach to art and design, and reveal the craftsmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our daily lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who influence the direction of cultural production and drive 21st century innovation, fostering a participatory framework for visitors to have direct encounters with works of art and design fascinating and compelling. madmuseum.org

ABOUT IDEKO
IDEKO is a full-service event production agency specializing in the production of large-scale experiential events. Our mission is to make our customers’ production dreams a reality by providing expert knowledge and hands-on technical service. From licensing, manufacturing, production and everything in between, IDEKO’s award-winning team of experts is ready to support your next event. As experiential leaders, our passion is to create amazing experiences that exceed industry standards. We think in practical terms, not in theory – our holistic approach to design, production and clearances ensures the success of every project. Our company is focused on innovative ways to create engaging live experiences for its customers, including Red Bull North America, Proctor & Gamble, and Nike, among others. IDEKO supports clients throughout the event process from ideation to completion, including planning, design, logistics, obtaining event permits in Times Square, NYC, LA and other major cities, budgeting, production, custom fabrications and mobile marketing. ideko.com

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