Towering buildings and honking cars rush by, lights from food trucks and stop lights alike illuminate a scene quite opposite from the usual hustle and bustle of city life. A mother runs after her small child, both of whom are giggling with delight as they run here and there, playing together, darting in and out of what is someone else’s artistic vision.
At the center of the plaza outside of 140 Broadway in downtown Manhattan sits a new fluorescent art installation by artists Joshua de Sousa and Nancy Hou, juxtaposing, yet mimicking, the scaling buildings that surround it and offering a new kind of bright city light.
Installed February 6, 2023, “Geo” is an abstract art piece that sits right on a courtyard in the Financial District, made of steel and paracord and illuminated by UV black lights to make the neon colors that it’s made of even more vibrant. There’s twists and turns to the towering piece, allowing for children and parents to play within it and for friends to take photos, but its design has a deeper meaning than just its intriguing appearance.
The paracord ropes that make up “Geo” are almost entirely vertical, spanning from the courtyard floor to up to 12 feet high. Artist Joshua de Sousa admits this is the vision behind the piece, saying that the vertical spanning of “Geo” is meant to reflect as a “microcosm” of the “windy, canyon feel… like downtown does, [and] the rest of New York.” As the cool February winds whip through the piece, the cords sway and wiggle, creating a feeling that it’s almost coming alive. There are multiple paths through “Geo,” with no two routes offering the same visual and sensory experience. “We wanted it to be a simple, kind of iconic thing, from a distance,” de Sousa elaborated, “but complicated and complex enough that when you’re here in person, you have a reason to want to explore it.”
This is not the first time de Sousa and Hou have turned heads with their simple yet influential art pieces in the downtown area. In the fall of 2020, the artistic couple had “Ziggy,” another paracord and steel masterpiece, in the Seaport. “I think we just wanted to explore something,” de Sousa said regarding the repeating motifs of the two installations, “[we] tend to want our projects to be something that old people, young people… [that] everybody can enjoy.”
Naming the pieces is a fun and endearing experience for de Sousa and Hou. Although they usually just go with whatever name they feel fits the piece the best, after all that hard work and dedicated time and resources, it’s difficult not to feel a connection to these creations. “It’s kind of nice, seeing people enjoy [our work],” de Sousa said, not knowing that right behind him two friends were laughing as they ducked in and out of “Geo,” creating memories in the art as the artist is right in front of them. “Geo,” “Ziggy,” and their other pieces end up feeling sort of like their children, de Sousa mentioned, reminiscing on the nerves he felt after they released their first few pieces into public space. “After you do a few of them, you’re just like, it’s going to be fine.”
The style of “Geo” is certainly a unique one; the intricacies and details are so unlike other art in the area and in general, that it almost makes it impossible to not stop and stare. From the neon colors to the UV lighting, and then to the curiosity that sparks within when you think about the shape of the structure, “Geo” is certainly in a league of its own. “‘Geo’ has a lot of architectural themes to its space,” de Sousa said about the style of this piece, “We like that [because of this] people can kind of explore it.”
The distinctive motif of abstractness is certainly a trademark for de Sousa and Hou, with both “Geo” and “Ziggy” having features to it that make an onlooker stop, tilt their head, and think ‘huh, how did they make that?’ However, when asked to describe his personal style in his own words, de Sousa said he likes to make pieces – especially ones like this – in a “little maximalist, not very subtle, and kind of architectural way.” This description is right on the nose, putting words to the indescribable individuality of his pieces.
“Geo” will be on display in the courtyard of 140 Broadway until March 30, right in the heart of the Financial District. This public art piece allows for deep thought and carefree playing, all possible through the twists and turns of the art itself, and anyone with the chance should absolutely get to experience this.
Feature image via https://downtownny.com/news/geo-140-broadway/