Designed by architecture and urban design practice Habitat Workshop, Bloom is the winner of the 14th Annual Times Square Love and Design Competition, which was presented in partnership with The Museum of Arts and Design. Bloom will be on view in Duffy Square from February 9 to March 9.

From afar, Bloom resembles a pavilion — a circular roof supported by a series of interlocked pink and white PVC pipes. From above, it blooms from the center with an arrangement of pixelated hearts. And from below, it becomes a buoyant cloudscape where the pipes overhead, descending to different heights, become vaulted portals allowing light to peek through from all directions. The structure channels the brightness of Times Square and showers down rays of light that greet visitors once they enter the structure, serving as a reminder of the fleeting moments of happiness and joy that persevere even in the shroud of darkness.

“We are honored for the opportunity to create a project that recognizes human fragility and strength, especially after a few years of struggle to care for ourselves and others in this overwhelming and disruptive world. Multiple sections of linked pipes form a buoyant cloud with a heart-shaped core blooming from each section’s center, and the aggregate of each interlocking connector provides strength for the overall structure. Bloom is an offering of hope and a reminder that we must find vivacity amid the darkness.”
— Jieun Yang, Habitat Workshop

At night, surrounding billboards, buildings, and headlights cast a constantly changing spectrum of colors and light onto Bloom, creating a pattern that shifts direction, elongates, and shortens throughout the day.

The centers of each heart cluster create the supportive cores that hold the project aloft, and the strength of the project’s structure comes from each small piece acting as a vital connector, revealing how important grounding forces and networks are for us to find lightness.

Bloom is an homage to the collective love for humanity — a shared experience that creates a sheltered canopy in the middle of Times Square — for all New Yorkers and visitors alike. Embodying both human fragility and strength, the work reminds us that we are all bound together, each with the responsibility to uplift and support one another so we can float together.

Bloom was fabricated by IDEKO.

Support for Bloom is provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

For thirteen years, Times Square Arts has hosted the Times Square Love and Design Competition to applaud the work of architecture and design firms and address themes of love during the month of February in Times Square. This year’s competition was presented in partnership with The Museum of Arts and Design. Now in its 14th year, the competition serves as a beacon of collective resilience and provides a sense of stability to an ever-changing city — especially during times of prolonged worldwide isolation.

A+A+A, bioMATTERS Studio, Devang Arvind Shah, and Studio Fierro were invited to submit proposals to the competition alongside Habitat Workshop. The competition selection committee included:

• Museum of Arts and Design Deputy Director and Chief Curator Elissa Auther
• Carson Chan, Director of Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and the Natural Environment at MoMA
• Kendal Henry, Assistant Commissioner, Public Art, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
• Kim Yao, Principal, Architecture Research Office
• Wendy Feuer, former Assistant Commissioner of Urban Design + Art + Wayfinding, NYC DOT
• Elizabeth Masella, Senior Public Art Coordinator, New York City Parks Department
• Nina Marren, Senior Program Manager, NYC DOT Art Program

ADA Accessibility Consultant (Non-voting): Victor Calise, Commissioner, Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities

See the proposals from all the invitees.

Bloom will be the epicenter of activities on Valentine’s Day in Times Square, including weddings, surprise proposals, and a vow renewal ceremony. For more information or for those who wish to participate, visit: www.TSQ.org/Love.