Two Tons of Love in Times Square!

This Valentine’s Day, millions of New Yorkers and tourists looking for love in the big city need look no further than the Crossroads of the World, as the Times Square Alliance unveils “Valentine to Times Square” a new temporary sculpture at the foot of the sleek red glass steps on the newly-redesigned Father Duffy Square (between 46th and 47th Street, Broadway and Seventh Avenue).  The sculpture will be on display from February 13th to February 22nd.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Alliance commissioned Gage/Clemenceau Architects to create a new work of art for Times Square that celebrates the uniqueness of its home.   The sculpture employs cutting-edge design and fabrication technology, making it the perfect symbol of romance for the scintillating high-tech environment of Times Square. While the design of the heart is the work of Gage/ Clemenceau Architects, the production involved one hot-rod car design company, several robotic metal-cutting robots,  an Ivy League University, a concert lighting expert , a graphic designer, a copywriter, a sculptor, and over 350 square feet of a material typically used for kitchen countertops.      

“Times Square has always been a place where tradition and technology meet,” said Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins. “Gage / Clemenceau Architects unite this contradiction with a creative use of cutting edge technology reflective of today’s Times Square."

“With all that’s going on in the world, we were overjoyed by the prospect of creating something where we can spread a little love,” said designer Mark Foster Gage. “Valentine to Times Square speaks to our love of Times Square and New York City – frenetic, ever-changing, colorful and always fascinating.”

To be part of the lights of Times Square, the designers utilized a reflective surface and changing LED lighting.  Computer driven lasers cut the metal sheathing into a delicate latticework pattern.  Inside, shelves of horizontal luminescent acrylic pulse in reds, pinks and purples.

“By using the latest in new materials and tools from a variety of companies such as DuPont's translucent Corian™, 3D software from Autodesk including AutoCAD and Maya, and new robotic fabrication technologies used by companies such as Evans & Paul and Milgo Bufkin, the heart itself is a carefully calibrated mix of material and lighting effects,” said designer Marc Clemenceau Bailly.

The "Valentine to Times Square" sculpture is just one part of the Valentine's Day in Times Square celebration. For more info on what's happening in the neighborhood this Valentine's Day, please click the links on the right side of the page.

Links to Project Sponsors

Gage / Clemenceau Architects