They said yes: ringed installation engages Times Square

If New Yorkers ‘love’ Times Square it's well-concealed, and more akin to the love/hate theme of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. Anyone who has fought through umbrella-wielding masses as part of their daily commute (dodging ‘naked’ cowboys and shaggy Sesame Street characters) has felt sufficiently defeated err tamed.
And yet, there is a certain magic to this neon square in the city's first snow, or through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time. It is this Times Square that Collective-LOK recently paid tribute to with their Valentine's Day installation 'Heart of Hearts'.
The reflective pavilion, a band of 12 ten-foot hearts, was the winner of the annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design competition. Among the design's uber-Instagrammable inspirations are works by Jeff Koons and Anish Kapoor.
‘Some of the architectural themes that these precedents bring about for us are reflection, repetition... degrees of privacy and publicity,’ says William O'Brien Jr (Rome Prize Fellowship in Architecture winner, and Associate Professor in the MIT Department of Architecture) who leads the designcollective along with Michael Kubo and Jon Lott.
He adds that ‘the connotations to the sacred’ of the ring shape are inherent (despite whatever urban profanity occurs around it.)
What set this design apart in the competition was the ability to create intimate spaces while still being open. Every second heart in the ring was four-sided, creating a shield within the chaos to capture a kiss – or maybe just that perfect selfie.
The reflective pavilion, a band of twelve 10-foot hearts, was the winner of the annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design competition.
What set this design apart in the competition was the ability to create intimate spaces while still being open.
Among the design's inspirations was this 14th century rendering of dancing Cupids by Marcantonio Raimondi in the style of Raphael
The designers also looked to Anish Kapoor's Gold Corner (2014), pictured, for golden inspiration
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Caribbean cool meets mid-century glamour at this new LA hotspot
From golden mirrored chambers to jerk-spiced tomahawk steaks, Lucia reimagines Afro-Caribbean dining and design
-
Tour this fire-resilient minimalist weekend retreat in California
A minimalist weekend retreat was designed as a counterpoint to a San Francisco pied-à-terre; Edmonds + Lee Architects’ Amnesia House in Napa Valley is a place for making memories
-
Love, community, anti-gay laws: the queer African artists redefining visibility through portraits
In honour of Pride Month, Ugonnaora Owoh speaks to three artists on African queer legacies and their optimism in advocating for queer rights through art
-
Ralph Pucci’s new Provence exhibition celebrates sculpture in its purest form
To mark 70 years of Ralph Pucci International, the New York gallery is collaborating with top designers to bring scaled, textural forms to Château La Coste
-
New York Design Week 2025: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
Now through 21 May, design is taking over the Big Apple. Here's the latest news, launches and other goings-on from NYCxDesign, as seen by Wallpaper* editors.
-
What not to miss at NYCxDesign 2025, according to our editors
From mega furniture fairs to can't-miss parties, here's what to catch at North America's biggest celebration of design
-
Basic.Space launches its first IRL shopping event – in an empty West Hollywood mall
With the launch of its first in-person event in LA this weekend, the e-commerce platform is looking to bring collectible design to a whole new audience
-
Design Miami 2024 is alive with possibility: here are 14 things to see
Design Miami 2024 opens 4-8 December – let Wallpaper* guide you to the highlights, from dazzling installations to plump sofas and anthropomorphic sculptures
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York
‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
-
Italian craftsmanship comes to Los Angeles in this eclectic Venice Canals apartment
Boffi Los Angeles celebrates a juxtaposition of texture throughout a waterside bolthole
-
Design Miami/Basel 2022 explores the Golden Age
Design Miami/Basel 2022, led by curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero, offers a positive spin after the unprecedented times of the pandemic, and looks at the history and spirit of design