A Giant, Reflective Lens Is Coming to NYC's Times Square for Valentine's Day

Renderings courtesy of Aranda\Lasch + Marcelo Coelho with Formlabs

Valentine’s Day is less than one month away, and soon enough the Times Square Valentine Heart Design will be on view at the center of the Crossroads of the World. This year’s winner is Window to the Heart, a 12-foot in diameter Fresnel lens sculpture created by Aranda\Lasch design studio and computation artist Marcelo Coelho. The stunning piece will be unveiled on February 1st at 11am at Father Duffy Square (between 46th and 47th Streets), where it will remain on view for the month of February.

“Times Square is a symbol for how we experience our world. It is a physical manifestation of our culture, one dispersed and absorbed through cameras and screens. And in this culture, to fall in love you must first fall through a lens,” said Aranda\Lasch + Marcelo Coelho.
Described as the world’s largest lens, Window to the Heart was designed with Formlabs, a 3D-printing manufacturer. When installed, its unique shape and reflective surface will capture and distort the image of Times Square. It will also feature a heart-shaped window at its center, which visitors can look through. According to a Times Square Arts press release, the lens segments of the sculpture will be printed using clear resin rather than glass.

Renderings courtesy of Aranda\Lasch + Marcelo Coelho with Formlabs

“It’s remarkable how Aranda\Lasch + Marcelo Coelho’s Window to the Heart responded to this year’s broad theme of Labor of Love for the 2018 Valentine’s Heart competition, ” said Susan Chin, Executive Director of Design Trust for Public Space. “They created a rare optical experience that pushes the boundaries of technology, as well as draws on the hyper-stimulating atmosphere of Times Square. In a time when our love and empathy are tested every single day, we’ll now have a special window to share viewpoints and to see one another in a different light at the Crossroads of the World.”
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Times Square Valentine Heart Design Competition, which invites architecture and design firms to submit ideas for public art installations that celebrate love. The event is curated annually by the Design Trust for Public Space. For more information about the project, click here. Also follow updates about its progress via social media using the hashtag #WindowHeartTSq.
Next, check out the Top 10 Secrets of Times Square and 10 of NYC’s Most Memorable Public Art Installations.