GraceSimmons-LookingOutwards-01

21 Balançoires (21 Swings) is an interactive artwork installation set up each spring in Montreal. The project involves a giant swingset, and participants use their bodies to prompt the notes to play; the project encourages cooperation because swings moving in different alignments create different melodies. The colors of the swings indicate which instrument is playing (piano, harp, guitar, vibraphone) and the pitch is determined by the height reached. It’s a project from the creative group Daily Tous Les Jours, headed by Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat, and their team of 30+ people including design, conceptual, technological, and programming experts. It uses custom software – each swing has a sensor that networks its position and relays this information to a computer via a fiber optic data link. Continuous monitoring allows for adjustment of volume depending on time of day.

I admire this piece because of its intent, which was to bring the drab urban environment alive with lots of people working together and conversing in pursuit of a playful, engaging goal. However, I do believe the placement of the swings could be even closer together, to promote more conversations and exchanges. The artists were probably inspired by previous works that focus on urban engagement, such as numerous billboard projects that film live crowds, or walkways that light up in various ways depending on crowd movement. For the future, I think this project shows that items that are often overlooked or ignored (like playground equipment) can be easily modified with technology to inspire strangers to partake in something outside the realm of their daily routines.

http://awards.ixda.org/entry/2013/21-balancoires/
http://www.dailytouslesjours.com/project/21-balancoires/