Public art adds a nice touch to these cold and brutal winter days. This years winner of the Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition, Happy, is just the cheerful touch missing for the grey days ahead.
24 transparent vinyl screens hang from an open frame in the plaza across from the Flatiron building. Happy, the installation that officially debuted on November 19 by Studio Cadena, was one of seven finalists in the annual competition for the opportunity to be displayed in the North Flatiron Public Plaza.
According to the designers, the project is a “warm embrace” for the city during the cold winter months and is meant to make people…happy. Studio Cadena explains that,
“Happy is both a figure and a place. A series of softly shaped and richly colored screens drape down from an open frame to inscribe a more intimate collective space and provide an analog filter to see the city in a different light. In our otherwise bleak social and political context, this architectural installation aspires to carve a small yet more positive urban space.”
During the day the piece will shimmer and reflect the light of the surrounding neighborhood. Towards the end of the day, it will cast its colored shadows on sidewalk.
The installation will be up until New Years Day. Check out some photos below:
In my opinion, Happy, albeit on a much smaller scale, is reminiscent of the early 2000’s installation in Central Park, The Gates. The immersive walk through a giant, colorful billowing piece of fabric brings back memories. But don’t just take our word for it, check it out for yourself now until January 1. Or, take a look at their website for more information.
Featured image: archpaper.com