There are concerns that these divisions could endure even after the health crisis has dissipated. But cities still coming to terms with a year of pain and loss are taking steps to keep their residents connected through approaches that have taken on a new life ahead of Valentine’s Day, a day all about love that’s being retrofitted to meet the current moment.
“There are whole numbers of people that are trying to think about how to activate public space and in fact invigorate a public sphere that’s more inclusive and less separated,” says Setha Low, a distinguished professor at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center whose focus includes the anthropology of space and place.
The arts have emerged as a key way to keep citizens engaged with public life in cities across the U.S., from Portland, Maine, to Denver. In New York City’s Times Square, an annual art competition celebrating the holiday was modified to meet that need.
Chocolates remain a favorite treat for some people during the pandemic.
This year’s winner, Love Letters, is a plywood structure resembling two interlocking hearts. It was designed with multiple spaces so that members of the public can interact with each other while maintaining a safe distance, and it’s meant to touch on broader themes like interdependence, collective resilience and inclusivity. Visitors can also leave their own love letters in the display, and those who can’t attend in person have the option of submitting notes electronically.
“We really wanted to expand the notion of love beyond the idea of just romantic love,” says Jean Cooney, director of Times Square Arts, which collaborated with the architecture and design firm Reddymade on the competition. “It’s been such an incredibly challenging year on so many levels, that we wanted to expand this idea of love to include togetherness.”
