New York’s Times Square continues to get a makeover. This time, with a little competition. Known for her massive rooftop paintings, Brooklyn artist Molly Dilworth has been selected to spruce up the pedestrian plazas of Times Square as part of Green Light for Midtown, a major initiative in the City’s efforts to improve mobility and safety on Broadway in Times Square and Herald Square, the two most crowded streets in America’s most crowded city. As a result, all vehicle traffic was shut off to the area, transforming it into a pedestrian oasis.
Dilworth’s winning concept proposal, titled “Cool Water, Hot Island,” is based on NASA’s infrared heat data of Manhattan and will turn a five-block stretch of Broadway into a river-like mirage. Dilworth’s piece won out over 150 submissions not only for its pretty factor but for how it actually combats city heat: “The proposed design’s color palette of striking blues and lighter hues reflects more sunlight and absorbs less heat– improving the look of these popular pedestrian plazas while making them more comfortable to sit in,” according to the NY Department of Transportation.
Dilworth will receive $15,000 in prize money and 18 months of display time, starting in July.
That’s hot.
SOUND OFF 