Despite the fact that we’re only now getting some chilly autumn weather, winter is, as they say, coming. While the city can be a dreary place during those months, the winning installation of this year’s Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition is going to offer New Yorkers a bit of happy, colorful warmth.
Brooklyn-based Studio Cadena’s “Happy” will feature 24 transparent vinyl screens hanging down invitingly from an open frame to capture seasonal light and give off a cozy glow.
“Happy” is the fifth annual winner of the Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition, which is a joint effort between the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District and the Van Alen Institute.
“We all wish each other happiness during the holidays. This installation physically manifests this well wishing to all who visit Flatiron,” said Benjamin Cadena, founder of Studio Cadena. “In our otherwise bleak social and political context, it aspires to carve a small and more positive space in the city — it offers a warm embrace during the cold winter months.”
’23 Days of Flatiron Cheer’ gets even more ‘Happy’
“Happy” will be officially unveiled Nov. 19 and will be on display daily, weather permitting, through Jan. 1 at the North Public Plaza where Broadway, Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street meet. It is part of the BID’s “23 Days of Flatiron Cheer.”
A total of eight architecture and design firms submitted proposals for this year’s holiday design competition. Studio Cadena’s “Happy” was selected by a jury with expertise in design and public art.
“In a relatively small way, ‘Happy’ demonstrates the huge impact that design can have on daily life,” said Van Alen Institute Executive Director David van der Leer. “By expressing a positive emotion in a public space, Studio Cadena’s delightful installation invites people to take a moment to consider the joy of being in the big, busy city during the holiday season.”
Click here and here to see the winning Flatiron installations from 2016 and 2017, respectively.
