The Flatiron Plaza is a unique space in New York. Standing in the middle of the space, people can see two of the city’s great landmarks: the Flatiron and Empire State Buildings. It is a place to experience the magnificence of Manhattan’s urban plan – with a dramatic view of Broadway cutting diagonally through the famous grid. And because Madison Square Park creates a clearing in the urban fabric, the site is one of the few places in the heart of the metropolis to see the skyline from street level.
Inaba‘s public art installation ‘New York Light’ pays tribute to the special experiences from this one-of-a-kind vantage point. Designed to echo the form of the Plaza’s namesake building, the prow of the structure frames the Flatiron. At the other end, the steel tube project opens northward toward Broadway and Fifth Avenue, outlining a view of the Empire State.
Hundreds of mirror-finished panels hang from the construct so visitors standing inside can enjoy the views surrounded by partial reflections of the immediate neighborhood. For the city that never sleeps, animated leds illuminate the components at night, inviting opportunities to take photos with friends or of oneself with the downtown landscape in the background.
In addition to offering passersby with these perspectives, the work serves as an illuminated backdrop for events. Performers stand at the north end while the structure provides a visual buffer to traffic along 23rd st.
The area’s beautiful evening light comes from the many residential buildings facing the Plaza. They cast a glow that’s softer than in the flashier more commercial squares along Broadway – with a hue that is more indicative of the public spaces in the city’s many residential neighborhoods. It’s this quality that ‘New York Light’ tries to replicate and literally reflect this holiday season.
