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Talk about artistic recycling: "Love Ever After," a new 50-square-foot heart sculpture that is going to debut in Times Square on February 4, is made with over four dozen oyster cages.
Created by Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio and presented by Times Square Arts, the visually striking installation is a three-dimensional heart that changes color and shape as you move around it, "creating a tactile and human-scale experience on the plaza below the high-tech screens for which Times Square is famous," reads an official press release.
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Needless to say given the materials used to construct it, the art piece seeks to turn everyone's attention to matters involving biodiversity. According to the release, in fact, New York used to be known as the "big oyster" because of the abundance of shellfish in its harbor.
"Oysters were so plentiful in the city that their shells became a key waste product, used in road construction, mortar and even burned to produce lime," reads the release. "Today, however, most oyster shells in New York City end up in landfills."
Although organizations like Billion Oyster Project, a partner in the unveiling of the installation, alongside The World Around, have worked hard to change the situation for the better, there's something about shedding light on the topic from an artistic perspective that feels very much of-the-time.
More specifically, the metal mesh used in building "Love Ever After" will be placed in the New York Harbor by Billion Oyster Project once the installation wraps up. In addition to the cages on display, visitors can peek inside an additional oyster cage that accompanies will accompany the show and be filled with shells as well.
Among the many public art works now on display all around New York, we must admit that "Love Ever After" feels extremely powerful—and it's not even up yet!