‘Flatiron Sky-Line’, the first large public installation from New York-based architects studio LOT, has opened in Flatiron Plaza. The structure is made of colliding arches, which are studded with LED lights and hung with hammocks. Now opened, the installation has been finished off with the final addition to complete its structure – people.
Built specifically for the area, a busy thoroughfare surrounded by landmark buildings, the architects wanted an installation that would be visually impactful from all angles, rooftop to eye level.
With the location in mind, LOT directors Leonidas Trampoukis and Eleni Petaloti were keen to create a place that people would interact with. ‘People use this particular plaza as a resting spot during the day, as a meeting point and a site for contemplation within the busy intersection,’ says Trampoukis. ‘We wanted to embrace this intense atmosphere with an installation that is conceptually linked with all these practical and emotional states.’
The lighting was designed by New York studio MAP
The installation garnered a lot of attention during the installation: ‘There were hundreds of people gathering around during the three days of installation while the area was still blocked off wanting to jump on the hammocks, photographing the surrounding landmarks through the white structure,’ says Trampoukis, who sees the crowd as a compliment to the simplicity of the structure.
While the structure has been designed site specifically, the architects also wanted it to be an ‘abstract universal installation that celebrates interaction between the public and the surrounding context by experiencing the surroundings through a different lens’. They explain: ‘Although the structure draws its geometry from the New York site, it is a free-standing interactive art installation that will activate and light up other public spaces where it can be installed and engage in "conversation" with the new context and people.’
The project is LOT’s first large-scale public installation. The arches are made of white powder-coated steel tubes illuminated with LED lights
INFORMATION
’Flatiron Sky-Line’ will be on view until 2 January 2017. For more information, visit the LOT website
ADDRESS
Flatiron Plaza
E 23rd St
New York, NY 10010
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