The Garment District has a new, fashionable glow.
The Garment District Alliance has unveiled their latest interactive art installation located on Broadway between 39th and 40th Streets.
Dubbed “Passage,” this communal art piece is a pedestrian tunnel comprised of 20 circles of incandescent light tubes that emit a variety of swirling colors as New Yorkers venture through it.
Revealing the free experience on Monday evening as the dusk rolled in, president of the Garment District Alliance Barbara A. Blair explained that she hopes that following the holidays the installation will light the way for a happy new year.
“We specifically chose January because it’s after the holiday season, and everyone has this sort of collective, you know, dropping down a few degrees and so it’s cold and it’s dark, but the light and the music is uplifting and it’s just a lot of fun,” Blair told amNewYork Metro, adding,” We want to greet you with a smile.”
“Passage” was designed by artist Serge Maheu while fabrication and assembly were developed by Félix Ménard. The piece first appeared as Montréal en Lumière in 2017 in Canada, and was created for Illuminart, a circuit that fuses art, lighting, and technology.
“With Passage, Québec’s creativity shines on Broadway for the fifth year in a row, and the Garment District Alliance demonstrates its strong leadership in presenting world-class public art that brings life and culture into public spaces,” said Martine Hébert, Québec’s Delegate General in New York. “Bravo to all involved!”
Several passersby were instantly taken with the artwork and took time to not only pass beneath its kaleidoscopic colors, but to also take selfies and videos with family and friends despite the harsh cold.
This is not the first installation in the area. Previous works have included “Prismatica” by RAW Design in collaboration with ATOMIC3, an immersive art exhibit presented in 2021 comprised of multi-colored prisms that filled the plazas with reflections and musical sounds and “Impulse” by Lateral Office and CS Design, a number of over-sized, illuminated seesaws presented in 2020 that enabled visitors to create their own light show in the heart of Midtown.
“Passage” will be available until Feb. 13.
