This Valentine’s Day, "X" marks the spot where couples can renew their vows, get married and propose in Times Square.
For the 11th year, Times Square Arts and AIA New York have chosen a winning design for its Times Square Valentine Heart Design contest and it’s a giant "X" by Reddymade.
"X", which stands 18 feet tall, is made of two aluminum planes that intersect to form a meeting place while creating heart shapes with rounded openings at its intersection.
When people make contact with it, "X" glows brighter as a way to express the power of community and love, according to Times Square Arts.
“In a time of rising xenophobia and division in communities, I was inspired … to make an installation that is not only beautiful but is relevant to its context and communicates a message," Suchi Reddy of Reddymade said in a statement. "Exploring the idea of community as a place of intersection led me to the tectonic expression of ‘X,’ which fit the context of Times Square, one of the most thriving intersections in the world of people, place and culture.”
Before it was selected as the winner of the competition, "X" was one of nine finalists, which also included design firms Agency — Agency, Buro Koray Duman, Isometric Studio, N H D M / Nahyun Hwang and David Eugin Moon, Only If Architecture, Splice Design and STUDIO 397.
The winning sculpture, which is the largest and tallest winning design in the contest’s 11-year history, will be unveiled at Father Duffy Square on Feb. 1 at 11 a.m, but the real excitement comes on Valentine’s Day (which lands on a Thursday this year).
The Times Square Alliance is hosting a large vow renewal ceremony that day at 6 p.m. for anyone who wants to participate. Couples will climb the red steps overlooking "X" and say their "I dos," followed by a confetti drop.
Registration for the ceremony is found at tsq.org/vows. You can also enter to be selected for a surprise proposal or even get married there on the day if you register at timessquarenyc.org.
