X O X O - LOVE TIMES SQUARE

Team: Can Vu Bui, Lane Rick, Vincent Calabro, JT Bachman, Katie Stranix

X O X O is at once a message, a sculpture, and an experience. It brings the spectacle of Times Square to the ground, and establishes a space for lovers to embrace, for children to laugh and play, for strangers to take photos, and for everyone to engage with the vibrancy of one of New York’s most visited areas. The installation is both a celebration of its visitors’ affections and its special place in the city; it joins Times Square, in its playfulness, accessibility, and invitation for open-ended joy.

The four totems that comprise X O X O operate at multiple scales, from the urban to the human. From afar, Xs and Os dance overhead, a loving tribute to the many billboards around. Their mysterious allure gives way to a second reading from the raised view of the TKTS stairs: the lower letters emit a colorful neon-like glow. They cast light up the structure and echo the glowing billboards above. From up close, the totems cluster together, four bright and distinct forms that establish a welcoming space to wander and gather. Each totem is a literal meeting-in-the-middle between an X and an O, a hug and a kiss. Colorful rope connects the upper and lower frames into a single undulating form. Collectively, the ropes produce a shimmering moiré effect, an ephemeral quality that emerges only through movement and exploration.