NOVEMBER 24, 2020
BY DEVIN GANNON
A new public art installation opened on Monday in the Flatiron Public Plaza as part of the neighborhood’s annual “23 Days of Flatiron Cheer” holiday programming. Designed by firm Studio Cooke John, the Point of Action installation consists of nine metal pavilions surrounded by six-foot concentric circles with ropes that part, creating a “spotlight” and allowing passersby to connect with one another. The firm’s work was selected as this year’s winning design by the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership and Van Alen Institute.
“Point of Action” designer, architect Nina Cooke John. Photo courtesy of Cameron Blaylock
It’s the first installation in the Flatiron public plaza to take up both the North and South Plazas, which allows visitors to stay socially distanced while still engaged with the work. Lights shine above each circle and outward from the sides of each frame.
“We are at a threshold during this pandemic. Now that our eyes have been opened to realities that have been with us all along, how do we move forward? My hope is that Point of Action makes people think about how we connect to the people we see every day so that we can move forward together,” Nina Cooke John, founder and principal of Studio Cooke John, said in a statement.
Point of Action will be on view from November 23, 2020 through January 1, 2021, on Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street.
“Point of Action beautifully meets our city’s current moment of uncertainty, provoking us to think not only about our interconnectedness with one another, but the role of our public spaces in creating connected, healthy, and resilient communities as we look toward collective recovery,” James Mettham, executive director of the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership, said.
Photo courtesy of Cameron Blaylock
“There is no better place for this installation than the Flatiron Public Plazas, world-renown public spaces for meeting friends, participating in our public programming, and enjoying art and architecture. We are proud to partner with Van Alen Institute to present Point of Action and we invite visitors from near and far to visit Flatiron this season.”
“23 Days of Flatiron Cheer” will kick off December 1 and run through December 23 with a host of holiday programming, like discounts at neighborhood stores, virtual holiday-themed tours of the Flatiron District, holiday meal kits, digital giveaways, and fundraising opportunities.
All photos courtesy of Cameron Blaylock