“Bloom” Interactive Sculpture by Habitat Workshop Is in Times Square for Valentine’s Day

Bloom by Brooklyn-based Habitat Workshop, winner of the 14th annual Love in Times Square Design Competition, is now on view at Father Duffy Square on Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets. Fabricated by IDEKO and presented by Times Square Arts in partnership with the Museum of Arts and Design, the interactive sculpture will remain on view until March 9, 2022.

Though New Yorkers tend to avoid the crowded, touristy streets of Times Square, the oft-maligned area is actually home to a number of permanent and temporary art installations. Times Square Arts, the arts arm of the non-profit business improvement district Times Square Alliance, organizes public art installations like Midnight Moment and A Fountain for Survivors by Pamela Council. Big-name artists like Kehinde Wiley and JR (whose Inside Out Project is currently on view at the Port Authority) have also left their mark on Times Square.

Designed by Jieun Yang, founding principal of Habitat Workshop, Bloom is made of interconnecting PVC pipes in white and pink that allow sunlight to filter through during the day and the colors of the surrounding billboards to shine through at night. The pink pipes form pixelated heart shapes that are clearly visible when standing underneath the structure.

“The project invites everyone from multiple approaches to pass through the portal of thick clouds,” Yang told the Architect’s Newspaper. “Once the material thins out at the peak of each inner vault inside the structure, warming rays of light greet each visitor and remind how moments of happiness can still exist in the shroud of darkness.”

Today, for Valentine’s Day, the installation will be activated with vow renewals, proposals, and even a wedding ceremony. If you’re in Times Square between now and March 9th, be sure to check out this cool temporary installation.

Next, check out 12 new public art installations in NYC for February 2022!