Heartwalk

Heartwalk draws inspiration from the collective experience of Hurricane Sandy. Built entirely from wooden planks salvaged from boardwalks damaged by the storm, the installation wraps around its visitors, providing a moment of pause amidst one of the world’s busiest public spaces.

Working in collaboration with city officials to reclaim sections of boardwalk, we collected planks from four locations across New York and New Jersey. Back in our DUMBO workshop—with screws and nails removed, salt and sand washed away, splintered sections trimmed and boards cut to size—we began assembling the boards into triangular sections of varying sizes that would eventually come together to form the final product in Times Square.

Though occasioned by Times Square Valentine’s Day Heart Design Competition, Heartwalk transcended this initial scope by traveling from Times Square to the Pearl Street Triangle in DUMBO, then on to the Rockaways, and finally, Atlantic City, NJ where it remains permanently installed. The ongoing life of the project relies on an open-ended spirit of collaboration, bringing together multiple city agencies, arts organizations, corporate sponsors and thousands of participants.