5. A Fountain for Survivors in Times Square

A Fountain for Survivors by Pamela Council, located in Times Square. Photo by Alex Webster.
A Fountain for Survivors by Pamela Council, located in Times Square. Photo by Alex Webster.

From October 14th through December 8th, Times Square Art will present A Fountain for Survivors, an immersive public art installation by artist Pamela Council, building on her earlier work Fountains for Black Joy. Located in Duffy Square, A Fountain for Survivors is a sheltered fountain adorned and protected by an 18-foot tall carapace of over 365,000 hand-painted acrylic fingernails. Flowing through the fountain will be a natural healing liquid. Designed to provide visitors with a range of sensory experiences ranging from heat, sound, and scent, the exhibit features special “wishing wafers” available at select times to be tossed into the fountain to produce a fizzy lucky moment. A Fountain for Survivors was created as a space for people to reflect on their own “survival” journeys. 

As stated by Times Square Alliance President Tom Harris: “This project reminds us that we are all truly survivors of something, and it mirrors the spirit of Times Square in many ways — completely one-of-a-kind, relentless in its creativity and determined to spark joy.”