To those who are familiar to New York, Times Square is a nightmarish intersection overcrowded with people and speeding cars. But somehow New Zealand–based architectural mesh manufacturer Kaynemaile made walking through it a little bit more enjoyable with its installation for this year's NYCxDesign festival. So much that it was awarded the festival's Best Architectural Product. Dubbed #WaveNewYork, the 14 foot-tall, 425-square-foot walk-through construction allows for an experiential experience, allowing you to “touch and see” the colorful piece between 44th Street and Seventh Avenue.
”The material is beautiful, the installation design is playful and interactive, and the concept has pure innovation at its core,” said Ilene Shaw, director and curator of NYCxDesign. The festival, which takes place in New York each May, is a collaborative platform for cultural and commercial opportunities, and a citywide celebration of design for both established and emerging design practices.
More than one million painted, interlocking rings are used in the kinetic installation, which is made from a seamless polycarbonate architectural mesh—the same material used to manufacture aircraft windows and astronaut helmets. The material is stronger and lighter than glass, reacts well with light, and is 100 percent recyclable.
Kaynemaile seamless mesh is based on a traditional European chainmail assembly, and produced by the world’s first liquid state assembling process. This process is able to form a 3D impact-absorbing structure composed of solid rings with no joints or seams and an excellent strength-to-weight ratio.
The Installation is a collaboration between Kaynemaile CEO Kayne Horsham—the inventor of the mesh and liquid state manufacturing processes—and Ned Kahn, American artist and fellow MacArthur fellow.
The award-winning technology and manufacturing process, patented by Kaynemaile, has been installed by developers, corporate headquarters, and shopping malls around the world in a variety of ways, ranging from lighting fixtures to walkways and art installations.
The NYCxDesign event runs through May 24th, and aims to create a collaborative platform for cultural and commercial opportunities, support both established and emerging design practices, and increase awareness and appreciation of design for all audiences.
