Giant, Reflective Lens Now on View at NYC’s Times Square for Valentine’s Day

We’ve been waiting for the debut of the Times Square Valentine Heart ever since renderings were released in January. 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 was unveiled on February 1st at Father Duffy Square (between 46th and 47th Streets), where it will remain on view for the month of February.

Renderings courtesy of Aranda\Lasch + Marcelo Coelho with Formlabs

“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 about the piece.

Described as the world’s largest lens, Window to the Heart was designed in partnership with Formlabs, a 3D-printing manufacturer. The sculpture, made of clear resin rather than glass, features a heart-shaped window at its center, which visitors can poke their heads through. On the day we visited, pedestrians flooded around the plaza, waiting for their turn to take a picture with their loved ones.

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. For more information about the project, click here. If you happen to pass by, make sure to grab a photo and post it to 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.