See the design objects that will enliven Times Square this May

The Times Square Alliance has unveiled how it plans to spiff up the the city’s number one tourist destination ahead of NYCxDesign that will take the city from May 11 through 23. The alliance’s inaugural Times Square Design Lab (TSqDL) will bring five commissioned pieces of public furnishings to the area, ranging from a wave-shaped bookcase to a kickboxing-inspired poster holder.

The inaugural designs “embody New York’s creative spirit” and bolster “the Alliance’s efforts to have Times Square serve as a design laboratory for public space,” a press release for the street furniture reads.

The five designers and their works highlighted this year are Brad Ascalon’s Island Collection, “a simple, yet multipurpose modular [seating] system incorporating storage and planters;” Joe Doucet’s The Village, another seating concept that provides a distinguishable place to meet in the madness of Times Square; Louis Lim’s Drop Sign, a teardrop shape sign holder that responds to movement and attracts attention in doing so; DYAD founded by Doug Fanning’s Re: Post poster holder that takes cues from boxing heavy bags; and Hive Public Space’s Title Wave, a shelving and seating piece that will be positioned near the Strand’s Times Square pop-up kiosk.

Take a peek at the innovations, below, before their May installation.

Brad Ascalon via Times Square Alliance

Joe Doucet via Times Square Alliance

Louis Lim via Times Square Alliance

DYAD via Times Square Alliance.

Hive Public Space via Times Square Alliance