A new interactive art installation in Campus Martius Park will give visitors the opportunity to make musical symphony of their own — with swings.
“The Swings: An Exercise in Musical Cooperation,” is a travelling, interactive public installation including 10 swings that play or compose music when participants activate them. The installation opens in Detroit at Campus Martius Park’s Cadillac Square on April 7 and runs through May 8. The swings will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Swings, created by internationally renowned studio Daily tous les jours, provide an experiential example of cooperation, with the notion that we can achieve more together than separately.
The installation consists of a series of musical swings, each emitting notes of a guitar, piano, vibraphone or harp when someone uses them. When used concurrently, the swings compose a synchronized musical piece in which certain melodies emerge through cooperation.
“The Swings offer the reality of collaboration as the exhibit exemplifies how each of our individual parts collectively create magic and cooperation,” Robert Gregory, president of Detroit 300 Conservancy, said in a statement. “This is evident in the way the public, private and philanthropic community has come together to bring the installation to life and also how the public has embraced it making musical symphony among strangers.”
Since 2011, the original The Swings installation has attracted millions of fans to the Quartier des spectacles area in Montréal every spring, where each swing has swung an average of 8,500 times per day. The Swings cause vibrancy by bringing people together of all ages and backgrounds. This urban interface stimulates intuitive play and experimentation, and leads people to become aware of each other.
“Downtown Detroit embodies for us the resilience that is so critical for many urban centers across North America today,” said Mouna Andraos, co-founder of Daily tous les jours. “It’s an inspiring example of a city that has had to reinvent itself drastically, and has been doing it through various, often innovative ways. We’re very honored to be able to contribute, albeit very modestly, to these renewal efforts through the presentation of The Swings. We hope that the project can help ignite, for the people of Detroit, a sense of what is possible for their city.”
The installation will complement the daily food trucks, lunchtime acoustical music performances and colorful seating in Cadillac Square at Campus Martius Park prior to the busy summer season.
