Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Times Square Heart Installation Will Pay Tribute to City's Immigrants

By Maya Rajamani | January 12, 2017 10:31am
 The installation is the winner of this year's Times Square Valentine Heart Design Competition.
"We Were Strangers Once Too"
View Full Caption

TIMES SQUARE — A Valentine’s Day installation heading to Times Square will pay tribute to the city’s immigrants.

“We Were Strangers Once Too,” designed by artists at The Office for Creative Research, converts census data from 2015 into “visual, sculptural form in 33 metal poles, inscribed and hued to represent the national origins and shifting populations of foreign-born NYC residents,” Times Square Arts said.

The colorful bands on the poles form a heart when viewed from a certain angle.

"Conceived as both a striking visual object and as a point of dialogue and conversation, 'We Were Strangers Once Too' champions the value of diversity in the city, and specifically the city's immigrant populations, new and old, at a time when they are increasingly under siege," Times Square Arts added.

The sculpture was the winner of this year's annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design Competition.

It will be on view at Father Duffy Square, between West 46th and 47th streets, for about a month after it’s installed on Feb. 7.

In a statement, its artists said the piece was their way of "acknowledg[ing] and say[ing] thank you to the diverse communities of NYC for their many contributions historically, currently and into the future.

“Now more than ever, New Yorkers need to stand up and say we are proud to live in a city of immigrants,” they added.