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Photos: The Garment District Gets A New Public Art Glow Up
By
Scott Lynch
Published Jan 11, 2022
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Scott Lynch / Gothamist
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By
Scott Lynch
Published Jan 11, 2022
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Over the past few years, the Garment District Alliance has shown an admirable dedication to installing giant glowing things on their pedestrian plazas, which take over several blocks of Broadway just south of Times Square. Pre-pandemic, we got the trippy Iceberg, and the big musical seesaws, and then last winter Prismatica filled the space with rainbows.
The plaza got another glow up on Monday, with an immersive, illuminated tunnel called Passage. Created by Serge Maheu, with fabrication and assembly by Félix Ménard, the 100-foot-long artwork is made up of 20 circles of light that pulsate and "sing" as you stroll, or skip, or sprint through them.
Like the earlier works displayed in the neighborhood, Passage first appeared at the famous Montréal en Lumière festival.
So, why does the Garment District Alliance keep importing these interactive, illuminated works from Canada? The group's president, Barbara Blair, explained, "We bring glowing stuff to the plaza because it's the middle of winter, it's cold and dark, and people need something to lift their spirits. There's music, there's light, it's fun, and it gets people out. It's something to do, something outside and safe."
She added, "And it's in Midtown Manhattan, and Midtown Manhattan is open for business again."
The Passages light-and-sound installation in the Garment District, January 10, 2022
Scott Lynch / Gothamist
A steady stream of passersby and Instagram stars stopped by Passage to experience it and, of course, take lots of photos. Klahr Thorsen, who lives in Williamsburg, was a fan.
"I think it's pretty cool," she said. "It's nice to have something to break up the scenery. I walk through this neighborhood all the time, and it's nice to find something new. I mean, I didn't enter another realm or anything when I went through it, but I thought it was pretty... it's fun."
Passage will be on view at the pedestrian plaza on Broadway between 39th and 40th Streets through February 13.
Tagged
midtown manhattan
new york city
public art
manhattan
garment district
Scott Lynch
Photojournalist, food writer, preschool receptionist. Love NYC.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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