DUMBO

Finding love via a tangled heart, under the Archway in DUMBO

‘Match-Maker’ sculpture aims to connect the lonely

April 7, 2014 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle
'Match-Maker' sculpture in DUMBO
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A tangled web of red tubes in the shape of a heart — a sculpture recently installed in the Archway under the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO — offers to connect Brooklyn’s lonely hearts.

“Match-Maker,” created by Bryan Young and Noah Marciniak, helps seekers connect to their soul mates via their astrological signs. Young is principal of Young Projects in DUMBO, and Marciniak is the designer.

The striking sculpture won February’s Times Square Valentine’s competition, and was on display in Father Duffy Square until last month. The artwork might work a special magic — on Valentine’s Day, the creators told the Brooklyn Eagle, seven couples wed, three proposals took place and over 140 couples renewed their vows on the Red Steps at the square.

Now the sculpture has come home to DUMBO to connect Brooklynites looking for romance.

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“I can tell you from personal experience, there is such a thing as love at first sight!” Young said in a statement. “In an era of digital communication, our design takes a decidedly analog approach to viscerally connect strangers and reaffirm compatibility between old partners.  With Match-Maker, you don’t need to create a user profile or log-in online. You simply walk up to your star-sign station and look into one of four periscopes, which will connect you to your astrologically compatible mate.”

Guided by their astrological signs, visitors arrange themselves at 12 points around the sculpture, where they peer through the red and pink periscopes, each marked with a sign of the zodiac.  Each viewing position is connected with its four most astrologically compatible pairings.

The DUMBO Improvement District is wondering if the sculpture might act as an unofficial dating service. “We are thrilled to host Match-Maker,” Alexandria Sica, the non-profit’s executive director said in a statement. “DUMBO’s public spaces are all about community connections and if this art can spark some real-life romance, even better!”

Like the human heart, the sculpture changes its appearance depending on your perspective. “From many points of view it forms a perfect and iconic heart, from other perspectives it is tangled and perplexing,” the creators say.

Match-Maker will be on display through May 14.


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