The Meeting Bowls: A New Hub of Social Activity Along Times Square

Meeting Bowls, by mmmm… ,Times Square, New York City, USA. Sometimes we only need to think simple to make the best pop-ups! This was certainly the case for Times Square’s temporary transformation back in August 2011, when Times Square Alliance and the Consulate General of Spain in New York City agreed to manage a space to calm the non-stop hustle and bustle of Times Square. The finished product was a new public art installation of urban furnishing called the Meeting Bowls. The project was designed by Madrid-based mmmm…, a collective of four Spanish designers (Alberto Alarcón, Emilio Alarcón, Ciro Márquez, and Eva Salmeron), with the aim of giving the public another vision of what the most crowded street in New York City could look like with just a simple design that is more than eye candy.

So, what was the BIG idea?

The idea was to install three giant bowls to bring people from every walk of life into an outdoor, intimate space to build connections. Strangers were brought together while sitting inside, next to each other and at the same time facing one another. This is something most designers tend to forget about when creating outdoor furniture – providing an opportunity for the simple act of having a face-to-face conversation. Recommended Reading

• Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden
• Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke

As Tim Tompkins, president of Times Square Alliance, explained: “Times Square stands as a testing ground for emerging ideas, and the Meeting Bowls offer a unique approach to foster private, intimate conversations in this enormous and often anonymous public setting”.

The Ingenious Logistics Behind the Project

The first prototype was constructed in Spain out of CNC cut-fiber boards. But instead of shipping the Meetings Bowls from Spain, mmmm… used global computer-aided manufacturing by emailing 250 parts of its digital drawings to Advanced Cutting Services in New Jersey. With the cooperation of R&N, they succeeded in cutting the sheets of waterproof, high-density chipboard, or MDF, with computer-driven routers.

The parts were then moved to Times Square, where the whole assembling process took the team just two hours to finish. The only tools they needed onsite were screw guns and rubber hammers — a great demonstration of doing more with less! What Would You Call it? Much has been written about the unusual shape of the bench design once the three bowls were shown to the public. Indeed, some have called them “baskets”; others have describe them as “salad strainers”. Animal NY have called them “tourist cages“. Each of the three bowls were five feet tall and seven feet in diameter, providing enough space for eight people to sit comfortably on a first-come, first-served basis.

A Way to Enjoy Both The Intimate and Public Space at The Same Time

The collaborative of Spanish artists, mmmm…, designed the Meeting Bowls in a way to generate a slight impression of floating, as they gently rock when people step in and out. Plus, with all the enormous video screens and flashing billboards of Times Square, people can both enjoy the intimate spaces as well as the open view of the streetscape. Those who have experienced the project were able to record their dialogue with others inside the Meeting Bowls using their smartphones and sharing them on the project website accessed by a QR code. They also were able share through the mmmm… website, Facebook, and twitter pages with the hashtag #MeetingBowls.

The Big Impact of Having Big Bowels

During the one-month event, the Alliance estimated that about 20 million pedestrians saw Meeting Bowls, while tens of thousands took photos. “Times Square is pleased to be a testing ground for emerging ideas about gathering in our public spaces and thus enriching cities worldwide,” Tompkins said. “The Meeting Bowls are a new type of temporary and playful urban furniture creating a small oasis among the rush of pedestrians.”

Finding The Potential of a Space

By being part of Times Square Alliance’s continual improvement to find better solutions for the district’s development, the Meeting Bowls project has demonstrated what we could possibly do with that space if we devoted it to something other than pedestrian traffic. This experience helped to raise a human aspect within a large modern city such as New York, where people can be less gathered into a mass and more easily identified as individuals. WATCH: Meeting Bowls

Eva Salmeron of mmmm… mentioned in a press release: “Contemporary to the recent Spanish 15-M Movement, and similar in aspiration, we hope the Meeting Bowls will encourage dialogue and interaction in the most important main square in the world, Times Square. The small group discussions will promote a sense of community and humanize the modern city.”

All in all, the great lesson we can all learn from this project is that when well-designed outdoor furniture is in the right place, it can have a significant influence on pedestrian activity, such as getting to know people, forming group discussions, and starting friendly dialogue between strangers. The Meeting Bowls was definitely a good opportunity to make real connections and build relationships among people within a positive environment. What are some other outdoor design characteristics that can effectively encourage social activity on streets?

Full Project Credits for Meeting Bowls, by mmmm…

Name of Project: Meeting Bowls Client & Developer: Times Square Alliance Designer: mmmm… Period of Design: August 2011 Location: Times Square, New York City Recommended Reading

• Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden
• Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke

Article by Naila Salhi

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