The Times Square Alliance marketing consortium in New York has implemented the Valentine's Day Heart for the fourth time in a row. In collaboration with renowned artists and architects, the subject of love is elaborately set centre stage. BIG♥NYC by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) is the title of this year's project. The leitmotif of the installation created by the Danish architects is "more people = more love". A single person can activate the beating heart by touching the panel set up next to the installation. The more people take each other by the hand to form a human chain, the faster will the heart pulsate to finally climax in a brightly burning heart. In this way, an impressive lighting scenario is created by focusing human energy - a luminescent symbol of love, so to speak.
The three-metre tall luminescent sculpture is made of 400 transparent acrylic tubes fitted with LEDs. They form a cube around the red Valentine's Day Heart, which reflects the city lights. The heart itself seems to hover in the air.
"City Pulse" is tangible proof that lighting experiences are always a piece of culture, a piece of art as well. For Zumtobel, communication and exchange in the context of international project partnerships with architects, light designers and artists is an important issue. The joint development of project-related special solutions individually adjusted to specific requirements provides valuable stimuli to innovation for light to be used as a means of creative design.
The 2012 Valentine's Day Heart was officially inaugurated on 6 February. On 14 February, many couples will use Times Square as a unique backdrop for renewing their marriage vows.