18. Times Square Arts’ Bloom

Bloom sculpture
Photo by Maria Baranova, courtesy of Times Square Arts

For the month of love, Times Square Arts will present Habitat Workshop‘s Bloom, the winner of the annual Love in Times Square Design competition, presented in partnership with the Museum of Arts and Design and fabricated by IDEKO. The installation consists of a series of red and white tiered PVC pipes bundled together creating a base plate that supports a buoyant cloudscape filled with vaulted portals that allow light to peek through from all directions. Upon entering the structure, visitors are showered with rays of light channeled from the billboards and buildings of Times Square, which project a constantly changing spectrum of color onto the project. Blooming in the center is an array of pixelated heart patterns that change direction and become elongated and shortened as the day progresses.

The installation serves as a reminder of the fleeting moments of happiness that persevere even through the darkest of times. Bloom will be unveiled on February 9, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. in Duffy Square located between 46th and 47th Streets. On February 14, special programming in honor of Valentine’s Day will be held, including vow renewals, surprise proposals, and a wedding ceremony. It will remain on display until March 9. For Jean Cooney, the Times Square Arts Director: “Bloom is a lighthearted reminder that we’re all bound together in some way, and speaks to the power of the collective to uplift one another — an intervention that channels the everyday elements of Times Square into a space for levity and connection.”