A public art installation was created by Kaynemaile™ as a centrepiece for the NYCxDesign’s design festival in Times Square, New York last year.

A creative collaboration between New Zealand architectural materials company Kaynemaile and American kinetic sculptor Ned Khan, the large blue wavy cube installation called #WaveNewYork was part of the NYCxDesign Festival, an interactive public event held over five days in May 2017.

#WaveNewYork was designed using a seamless polycarbonate architectural mesh invented by former Weta Workshop artistic director Kayne Horsham. Measuring 14 feet high and covering an area of 425 square feet, the walk-though ‘touch-and-see’ experiential installation was placed on a pedestrian-friendly plaza in Times Square.

Kaynemaile’s mesh is made from the same material used to manufacture F16 fighter jet cockpits, astronaut helmets, and aircraft windows. Stronger and lighter than glass, Kaynemaile responds to lighting extremely well, making Times Square an ideal location for the dramatic installation.

The patented interlocking mesh rings reimagine the 2000-year-old chainmail and can be used for a variety of architectural structures including large scale building and carpark wraps, shading for rain, wind and sun, airport security screens, hotel ceiling systems, university walkways, office partitions, lighting fixtures and kinetic art installations. Kaynemaile has been installed worldwide by building owners, developers, transit authorities, corporate offices, and shopping centres.

Kayne Horsham, CEO of Kaynemaile said, “We’re thrilled to be participating in NYCxDesign and bringing to the Times Square Design Pavilion our #WaveNewYork experience. New York is a global capital of innovation and a leader in the worldwide design community. It is exciting to come from New Zealand to show how our materials bring human touch and joy to hard urban spaces.”

Ilene Shaw, director and curator of NYCxDesign, added: “#WaveNewYork by Kaynemaile will be a highly visible and vibrant focus of the Times Square Design Pavilion. The material is beautiful, the installation design is playful and interactive, and the concept has pure innovation at its core. It’s an honour to have Kaynemaile at Design Pavilion 2017.”