Studio Cadena’s “Happy” Spreads Cheer in New York
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Studio Cadena’s site-specific installation “Happy” is the winner of the fifth annual Flatiron Public Plaza Design Competition hosted by the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District (BID) and Van Alen Institute. The vibrant installaStudio Cadena’s “Happy” Spreads Cheer in New York
Studio Cadena’s site-specific installation “Happy” is the winner of the fifth annual Flatiron Public Plaza Design Competition hosted by the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District (BID) and Van Alen Institute. The vibrant installation is the highlight of the annual program and a prominent landmark in the thriving New York City neighborhood.“We all wish each other happiness during the holidays. This installation physically manifests this well wishing to all who visit Flatiron,” says Benjamin Cadena, Founder, and Principal of Studio Cadena. “In our otherwise bleak social and political context, it aspires to carve a small and more positive space in the city — it offers a warm embrace during the cold winter months.”According to the Studio, “Happy” is a simple device to make the visitors stop, wonder, and most importantly, smile. The installation features 23 softly shaped transparent vinyl screens that drape down from an open frame to inscribe an intimate collective space within. The rich colored surface projects a highly visible and memorable figure from a distance, and up close, filters views inside and out by infusing the surrounding context in a rich saturated glow. The soft structure gently sways in the breeze, shimmering and reflecting, while it casts long colored shadows in the low light of late fall and early winter.Founded by Benjamin Cadena and based in Brooklyn and Bogota, Studio Cadena is a young, award-winning design, and architecture studio interested in engaging contemporary life, the city, and its people. The studio’s portfolio includes, high-level strategic planning for cities, cultural, commercial, residential, and civic projects including museums, libraries, private homes, interiors, exhibitions, and furniture. It was selected in 2016 by the American Institute of Architects for its biennial New Practices NY Award.Benjamin Cadena serves as co-chair of the AIA New Practices Committee in New York, is a Fellow of the Urban Design Forum, and the recipient of the 2016 AIA New York New Practices biennial award.“Happy” is on view through January 1, 2019, at the Flatiron North Public Plaza, located at the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street.Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the installation. https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more