Something new has landed in the middle of the pedestrian plaza at Times Square. In between all the bright billboards, hoards of tourists and tall buildings you will find 3 Meeting Bowls. They are part of a new urban furniture exhibit. The Meeting Bowls resemble the tea cup rides in Disneyland, are large circular capsules that seat up to 8 people. They are made out of CNC cut fiber board; and each of the bowls rock gently, giving people sitting in them a floating sensation. The project is the work of Madrid based
mmmm and the
Times Square Alliance. As PSFK reports, the project is an experiment to facilitate spontaneous interactions and dialogue.
People visiting are encouraged to scan the QR codes before taking a seat. You can record your dialogue on your smartphone and share the audio on the project website. As you can tell from the pictures, the bowls are hot items in the crowded square. I am positive you will meet some interesting people if you hang out in one of them all day. I am just not so sure I want to spend time sitting in one of the busiest plazas in NYC!
The bowls will be out in Times Square until September 16.
