And finally: The Floral Heart Project
The Times’s Juliana Kim writes:
The first time Kristina Libby, an artist based in Greenwich Village, left a gigantic floral garland at Brooklyn Bridge Park, it was an intimate way to offer condolences to New York City when the pandemic reached a peak last spring. Soon after, people wanted to participate.
Her floral heart garlands to honor those affected by the coronavirus then popped up on street corners, bridge walkways and park lawns, and became a meeting point for vigils, performances and open mics where people who lost a loved one shared their stories.
Ms. Libby’s effort came to be known as the Floral Heart Project. In partnership with 1-800-Flowers.com, the garlands have now appeared in over a dozen locations, including Central Park, Carroll Gardens, Rockaway Beach, Long Island City and Jersey City, N.J. Each display is up for three to seven days.
Ms. Libby also created a digital installation, “Heartbleed,” that is on view at SpreadLightNYC, a public art exhibit in TriBeCa, until Feb. 28. In it, a 10-minute video displayed in a window illustrates an accumulation of rose petals, each one representing a life lost to Covid-19 in the United States.
Ms. Libby said she wanted to produce simple artwork that could resonate with all New Yorkers.
“It made sense to use flowers,” she said. “They’re a traditional sympathy gift, and a heart was a very easy symbol for the message I was trying to convey.”
With the pandemic nearing a year in duration, Ms. Libby does not see an end for her floral project. “Grief is a massive burden that I believe will deeply harm our country if we do not help people to heal from it,” she said.
It’s Monday — take a moment to reflect.
