For the first time in this annual competition, Times Square Arts, the public art program of the Times Square Alliance, collaborated with Design Trust for Public Space to search for the winning proposal. Eight firms submitted proposals for the heart design. Situ Studio’s Heartwalk took inspiration from the collective experience of Hurricane Sandy and the love that binds people together during trying times. Whether it was the radically reconfigured landscapes, the compromised infrastructural networks, or the temporary solutions that emerged in the days and weeks that followed the storm, Hurricane Sandy confronted all New Yorkers and New Jerseyans by transforming the familiar.
The jury that selected the winning entry included: Barry Bergdoll, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art; Susan Chin, FAIA, Executive Director, Design Trust for Public Space; Sherry Dobbin, Director of Public Art, Times Square Alliance; Tom Finkelpearl, Executive Director of Queens Museum of Art; Rosamond Fletcher, Director of Programs, Design Trust for Public Space; Sara Reisman, Director of Percent for Art, Department of Cultural Affairs; Jennifer Lantzas, Public Art Coordinator, Department of Parks, City of New York; and Emily Colasacco, Manager, Urban Design & Art, Department of Transportation.
Previous winners of the Times Square Valentine Heart Design include the firms: BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) (2012); Freecell (2011); Moorhead & Moorhead (2010); and Gage / Clemenceau Architects (2009).
