Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that bring the most joy. It could be a childhood memory or a communal event that opens up new avenues of communication. For some of us old enough to remember, fridge magnets were a staple of our youth. It gave freedom to not only learn sentence structure and new words, but an avenue for unbridled creativity.

Looking to capture this magic is Vignesh Hari Krishnan, a designer who was raised in Chennai, India before pursuing his dreams in the United States. Having received his Masters in Architecture and Design from the Yale School of Architecture, Vignesh has been involved in a variety of diverse projects. Central to his work is helping people, and bringing back joy to their lives. Whether through his many app contributions at the Yale Consumer Health Informatics Lab (CHIL) or his art installations, the Chennai native seeks to enrich the world and remind us that we all deserve to smile.

Working from the inspiration of the fridge magnets we played with in our youth, Vignesh set about coming up with a communal art exhibition in the streets of New York. “The idea for Street Magnet Poetry began as a simple observation of how fridge magnets bring people together in a playful, interactive way on a relatively small appliance,” he says. The designer had long noticed the vast amount of unused space within the city and had been formulating the idea for years.

Filling in the blanks that adorn pockets of the city, from unrented buildings to previously unnoticed subway signs, Vignesh put up words that could be rearranged in any number of ways. After providing a source for expression, he then watched as the diverse New York masses put their unmistakable mark on the project.

“Seeing strangers unite to craft poetry on a city wall has been magical,” he begins before noting a particular moment when he “saw a group of students collaborating on a piece, laughing, debating and even translating the phrases.” This, the Yale School of Architecture Graduate, believes to be a quintessential New York moment only possible due to the melting pot that is the city.

While the “Street Magnet Poetry,” was dispersed around New York, Vignesh holds a particular place in his heart for the Domino Park location. He believes that “there is something special about that Park.” The mix of street performers and artists, as well as those there to enjoy the spectacle gives the place an energy. Vignesh owns up to getting lost people watching, “seeing them smile at the various shows reminds me of why I design, to create moments that bring joy and connection.”

What the designer has done is find a unifying force for the thousands perhaps millions of people that pass a shared location. Once nondescript surfaces now have character through shared inspiration. “While everyone has the same words, everybody can choose how they arrange them,” he believes this to show the power of words, but also the difference in how people view the world.

These very words, no matter how simple, are what we use daily to tell stories. Street Magnets allows for these stories to stand out on the streets of New York in a way that evokes memories beyond the words alone. Vignesh remembers a poignant moment when a couple had a shared memory of an old poem they had written in magnets on their own fridge. “The poem sparked conversations with people passing by who stopped to share their memories or favorite lines of poetry.”

It is these moments that the Chennai born designer was looking to create. Little pockets of shared magic in a sea of similarity that can become New York. Too often we forget to remember, and we forget to look up. With Street Magnet Poetry Vignesh Hari Krishan reaches back into a collective memory while opening a path for creation.

His simple idea is one that we all can connect with on some level. Whether you remember the fridge magnets from your own youth, or you stumble upon some public poetry, Street Magnet Poetry creates moments of happiness. It is these moments that Vignesh cherishes and looks to continue to create, whether he is there to witness them or not.