Thursday Salute to Originals: Musical Swings
The GPI Design team is always interested in creative uses of LED panels, especially when paired with innovative lighting controls. This installation is no exception. The lighting accents in this art installation show that lighting, however understated, can change the experience of installations and artwork throughout the day, creating a welcoming glow in the evening and invigorating a streetscape.
Daily Tous Les Jours, a design collaborative in Montreal, Canada, produced ’21 balancires’ for the 2013 biennale international design fair in Sainte-Etienne. This public installation was available for use in the Quartier Des Spectacles, a high-traffic area in Montreal. Twenty-one swings trigger individual notes while in use and the installation is meant to “explore the notion of collaboration and the positive outcomes which can be a result of working together”, according to the designers.
As users begin to swing in tandem, melodies occur according to which swings are in use and the rate at which users swing. As dusk approaches, the swings illuminate to heighten the sensory experience of its users. The ‘EmpathiCITY, making our city together’ exhibition “investigates the biennale’s theme of empathy… articulated through a series of urban interventions which turn the streets into a domain for democratic expression”, remarked an official.
“The installation offers a fresh look a the idea of cooperation – the notion that we can achieve more together than alone.” — Tous Les Jours and Luc-Alain Giraldeau, a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal’s Science Faculty.
The motivation behind this wonderful installation is both emotional and inspiring. We would love to see a permanent installation like this somewhere in our area so that we could take “musical breaks”!
Image credits: Design Boom