Collective
New York, New York
Invited Competition
Design Team
Max Worrell, Jejon Yeung, Yunchao Le
Collaborators
Structural Engineer: Silman
Lighting Designer: Lighting Workshop
Fabrication: The New Motor
Connected together as one. That is the premise of the holiday season that inspires our installation design for the Flatiron Public Plaza competition. A simple rectangular panel, an individual, otherwise alone, but together are interconnected to create a collective, a sum of elemental and repetitive parts that is more complex and more spectacular. The panels are arranged to create a circular space and a shared urban experience that is focused both inward and outward. The thinness of each panel is nearly two dimensional, with its sharp lines framing numerous openings, some meant as thresholds to be crossed and others, places to pause, to rest and to gaze. The tenuous joint between the panel edges highlight the delicate tension between the singular and the collective, and how we as individuals continually move between these two realms.
Collective is comprised of 3 primary components: 30 wood-framed panels wrapped in aluminum vinyl, LED strip lights, and a painted base platform. Together these parts are interconnected vertically and horizontally to form a rigid structural system. All connections, ties, and wiring will be concealed and hidden. The violet color platform with integral benches marks a vibrant plane that distinguishes the structure within the urban context. The metallic properties of the aluminum vinyl, gently extends the color of the platform, as well as the ambient hues of the visitors and surroundings. It signifies a place and imbues a spirit of intrigue against the grayness of a New York City winter.
Collective has no rules or guides. It is for people to meet, connect, rest, and to celebrate.
LED strip lights are integrated within the benches to illuminate the vertical panels, and in between the horizontal panels washing light against the succeeding surface. The color temperature of the lights are selected to mimic the winter moonlight, highlighting the night sky experience within the city.
