Swing Thing

October 24, 2003 - October 26, 2003


The Swing Thing posited a community through common experience. Four swings, staggered throughout the space, glided though the air in rhythms, carrying their passengers toward and away from each other.

Each swing was a unity of continuous movement, integral to the workings of the whole. Music played in the large space and spectators observed in small groups. The Swing Thing posited a community through common experience. Four swings, staggered throughout the space, glided though the air in rhythms, carrying their passengers toward and away from each other. Each swing was a unity of continuous movement, integral to the workings of the whole. Music played in the large space and spectators observed in small groups.

Using yellow industrial belts as the instruments of communal motion, the swings spoke the language of a public playground without suggesting a literal repetition of it. The material choices made in the studio were influenced by the post-industrial space and it's location adjacent to residential life. The event was fully formed with the participation of the area residents.

Swinging to and fro, relationships of movement translated to conversation, often challenged by different rates of motion and positions in space. One would have to pump faster to maintain a conversation with a fellow swinger. Crossing paths with an adjacent swing in motion, a binary interaction between two people often opened up to include a additional swingers. This dynamic relationship of motion and dialogue was continuously stimulated by the introduction of new swingers and swing spectators.