Teaserbild-Quelle: Reddymade
Kisses, roses and marriage proposals: on Valentine’s Day, Times Square in New York is transformed into a place of public expressions of love. On the occasion of this, the famous intersection also becomes the center of an art project. This year, an oversized X symbolizes a connection between people and cultures.
Those: Reddymade
The x-shaped sculpture by architects Reddymade in Times Square will be featured on thousands of selfies by couples in love this year.
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Those: Reddymade
The X should symbolize a coming together, a connection, between people and cultures.
While lovers around the world dine by candlelight and once again declare their love, countless lovebirds and onlookers gather in Times Square in New York every year to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. This year, a big X will stand out on the selfies and souvenir photos that inevitably arise: The X-shaped sculpture by the architecture firm Reddymade from New York won the eleventh “Times Square Valentine Heart Design Competition” and is now adorning it for the whole month most famous crossroads in the world.
Meeting place
In the more than five meter high sculpture made of aluminum plates, round openings are cut in the middle, which, depending on the perspective, result in a heart shape. The sculpture explores how love arises in communities where differences meet equality. The organizers announced that the X evokes many expressions of love. “People from all kinds of backgrounds meet in Times Square, and Reddymade’s design provides them with a meeting place for further exchange and connection,” said Times Square Arts.
The architect Suchi Reddy, the founder of Reddymade, speaks of “times of xenophobia and division of communities around the world” which would have led to the idea of the X. The letter X is used as a symbol for a kiss and, in the constellation “XXX”, indicates a sexual background. This means that the sculpture does justice to the “context of Times Square, one of the most vibrant crossings of people, place and culture, and the XXX history of the place,” said Reddy.
Public art for love
The annual Valentine’s Day competition invites architecture and design firms to submit proposals for a public art installation that conveys love in the heart of the dynamic city during the “Month of Love”. In collaboration with the New York branch of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Times Square Arts selected Reddymade’s winning project from a total of eight finalists last fall.
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