Come February 9, New York City will be celebrating the opening of its seventh annual Valentine’s Day installation in Times Square. As part of Times Square Alliance’s heart design competition, Brooklyn- based and Venezuelan-born firm Stereotank will be constructing a heart-beating urban drum in hopes that it will bring together New Yorkers through music.
“Heartbeat is a heart-beating urban drum,” says Stereotank. “This engagement sculpture consists of a massive heart glowing to the rhythm of a strong, deep and low frequency heartbeat sound which changes its rate as visitors approach, move around and engage with it by playing various percussion instruments and joining the base rhythm of the heartbeat. The audience is invited to come together and creatively play, listen, dance and feel the vibrations of the heart while enjoying the warm pulsating light. In the emblematic, active, flickering atmosphere of Times Square, Heartbeat orchestrates multiple rhythms into a unique urban concert.
“Heartbeat is equipped with various percussion instruments. Each drum has unique sounds and resonant characteristics. Membranes of different sizes and materials such as synthetic snare skin, synthetic snare skin with coil, animal hide, and hard plastic are used to create a variety of drum timbres.”
Heartbeat will be located at Father Duffy Square, between 46th and 47th Streets. It will remain on view through March 8, 2015.
The Times Square Valentine Heart Design competition is in partnership with The Architectural League of New York. Support provided by Arup.
