Photo by Maria Baranova
Love is in bloom in Times Square this February. As part of its 15th annual Love & Design competition, Times Square Arts on Wednesday unveiled a new public art installation on Duffy Square that invites visitors to get lost in love. This year’s winner, Almost Studio, created an interactive configuration of four artificial heart-shaped hedge rows that form a maze-like structure with heart-shaped interiors. Called Love’s h|Edge, the sculpture features illuminated benches and trellises, the latter of which will be filled with fresh roses by passersby.
The sculpture features windows that help not only create a fun photo-op but also connect visitors to one another. The heart-shaped interiors have illuminated benches with vertical trellises, inspiring a moment of pause and reflection.
Over the course of the month, fresh roses will be distributed every day to visitors who will then “Fill Up the Heart,” by placing them on the trellises throughout the sculpture. As more roses are added, the artificial hedges that makeup Love’s h|Edge will appear to blossom.
The space was designed to be ADA-accessible and intended to be inclusive for all who visit.
Photo by Maria Baranova
Dorian Booth and Anthony V. Gagliardi of Brooklyn-based Almost Studio said the idea that the sculpture could make a few people’s days better, “gives us a lot of joy.”
“Like a daydream, and just for just a moment – forget your troubles, your stress, your to-do’s, and where you are going,” Booth and Gagliardi said in a statement. “Love’s h|Edge is meant to be a pause, a momentary illusion, in your day, in your week, and in your life. Planting an artificial garden within Times Square is meant to be a jolt from our routines.”
“It is meant to draw from the history of landscape design, public theater, and Surrealism to take us out of our every day and instead offer a garden island of wonders, what-ifs, and somedays. It is a place of reflection and reformation. It is a place to look at yourself and others anew.”
Photo by Maria Baranova
Love’s h|Edge serves as the backdrop for the many Valentine’s Day activities that take place in Times Square, including surprise proposals, vow renewals, and weddings. The sculpture will be on display until February 28.
“Every February, we get to celebrate love–a simple yet invaluable sentiment that underpins and uplifts all that we do here in Times Square–and invite New Yorkers and visitors to gather with one another and enjoy the cultural and commercial offerings that make this district so unique, vibrant, and unforgettable,” Tom Harris, president of Times Square Alliance, said in a statement.
Heart-shaped hedges blossom with real roses as part of Valentine’s Day installation in Times Square
POSTED, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
BY DEVIN GANNON
Photos by Maria Baranova and by Jonathan Hokklo