Adding to the ever-changing public landscape of Times Square, German artist and architect J. Mayer H. has unveiled XXX TIMES SQUARE WITH LOVE, three bright-pink, X-shaped custom lounge chairs that allow visitors to lie back and take in the cacophony of lights and sounds for which Times Square is famous. Originally inspired by the “X-like” intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue, the name also serves as a cheeky reference to the adult theaters and sex shops that once lined the square before its revitalization in the 1990s.
Located on the Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 43rd and 44th streets, each of the three X-shaped chairs is designed to accommodate four people, with each arm of the X becoming its own near-horizontal lounger from which people can take in a new perspective of the city.
For lucky visitors, the chairs provide a moment of leisure not usually associated with the fast-paced streets of Midtown Manhattan. Loungers are encouraged to share their experience on social media using the hashtag #TSqXXX.
"Lying down on XXX allows for a completely different perception of Times Square and its media presence,” said Juergen Mayer H. “The view goes vertical while you are broadcast via many of the public webcams of Times Square looking down on you. And besides your new perspective on the skyline, you might want to snap a selfie of yourself relaxing to share your XXX with friends and family."
“Mayer H. delivered for us a striking and original street furniture design that not only references Times Square’s X-rated history, but also offers users a very different way of looking at and sharing a place that, on average, is posted on Instagram no fewer than 17,000 times a day,” said Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance. “In pedestrian plazas that can be overwhelming at times, XXX offers a clever and calming way to experience them that is new, while referencing the old.”
XXX Times Square with Love was developed in partnership with Times Square Arts and Urban Arts Projects. Previous urban installations by J. Mayer H. Architects include the "Metropol Parasol," an enormous wooden structure and public space in Sevilla, Spain.
News via J. Mayer H. Architects.
