As drugstores sell off the last of their heart-shaped candy stock, the Times Square Valentine Heart is closing too. This year's heart-shaped installation, called "HeartBeat," was designed by Brooklyn's Stereotank and opened last month in New York City's Father Duffy Square. But it's not leaving without a surprise. Last week, Times Square Arts—the program behind the annual installation, now in its seventh year—announced that "HeartBeat" was going to become "HeartSeat" for its final week on Times Square. Times Square Arts partnered with the Architectural League of New York for this year's installation.
It turns out this transformation was in the works all along. A Times Square Arts spokesperson sent ARCHITECT a statement:
"The project was designed from the beginning to transform. The announcement of the transformation from HeartBeat to HeartSeat was released in March to give special attention to its role as part of Armory Arts Week."
HeartBeat-turned-HeartSeat closes on Sunday.