Someone Installed Punching Bags For Stressed Out New Yorkers All Across The City
New Yorkers aren't always known for being the friendliest Americans, but now we're outright saying we think they have anger issues. Neon yellow punching bags appeared throughout Manhattan in May to prove a point during NYCXDESIGN week.
Don'ttakethisthewrongway Studio took to the streets by installing these punching bags all around town so friendly and not-so-friendly New Yorkers could let out a little steam without harming anyone. While it seems simple, there was actually a purpose behind their design.
Use At Your Own Risk
As part of New York City's 2019 NYCXDESIGN event, Georgia-based design studio don'ttakethisthewrongway (dtttww) installed public punching bags from May 15 - 21 in the Soho, Chelsea, and Washington Square Park areas.
Dtttww invited New Yorkers and visitors of NYCXDESIGN to release their frustration in a safe way, just a few blocks away from calendar events, cocktails, and other slippery situations. If you've ever walked down the crowded streets of New York City, you probably understand why these would be such a hit.
Slippery Situations
Dtttww wrote in an Instagram story that they believe "the design industry, full of beautiful displays of innovation and craftsmanship, seems to ignore and push aside undesirable situations" which is why they strive to feature more realistic art.
The studio described their punching bag project as a public amenity that caters to emotions, offering "an outlet for these emotions as a means to maybe develop a healthier way to address personal and collective issues in a public setting."
A Healthy Place For Frustrations
New Yorkers seemed to be both confused and delighted with the appearance of these mysterious neon yellow plastic punching bags.
Instagram user @persnicketyfox shared a series of photos of her using the punching bag with the caption "This is AWESOME. I don't know who to thank for this - OH MY WORD - THANK YOU! We need more of this. A public punching bag! So much angst, so little time. Sweeeeet release"
Coming To A City Near You?
Dtttww shared this photo to their Instagram account @studio_dtttww explaining the reasoning behind the punching bags. "A design concept for the public that explores designing common spaces for the frustrations we all face. Frustrations that go beyond designed systems and happen, well, because we are human."
Instagram user @plat4om posted a picture of the punching bags, commenting "Public punching bag..... Somewhere to let off steam. Do you think we need this in your city??? " Maybe after this success, dtttww will expand their reach to cities across the U.S.
Use At Your Own Risk
Dtttww put up bags across multiple locations, posting the crossroads on social media whenever new ones were put up. There was no official takedown date set, and at one point the studio simply said they would be available 'until someone took them down.' Are there still some hidden somewhere in Soho? Unsure.
What we do know is that donttakethisthewrongway is receiving a lot of praise and publicity for this piece, and it seems to have made for a successful NYCXDESIGN experience for the studio.