Light:Swing

Light:Swing takes a staple childhood playground structure -- the swing set -- and amplifies the experience with a spectacle of light. 

Participants on the swings look up to see massive columns of light sweeping through the night sky; each set of beams acting as a visual extension of an individual's motion. Encoder data drives game logic, encouraging users to unlock brightness and color patterns by swinging in sync. Participants are rewarded with more complex and spectacular light shows the more they work together.

For distant viewers, the beams resemble the classic carbon-arc searchlights used during Hollywood movie premieres; sweeping the city skyline and guiding viewers toward their source on the ground. However the beams emanating from Light:Swing take on a new, yet oddly-familiar motion. As one is drawn to the source of light, it becomes apparent that these towering beams are not simply random attention-grabbers, but are being directly controlled by the participants on the swings...and you are invited to control them too.

Materials

Steel, steel wire

High-power, narrow beam searchlights

Custom, dichroic color scrollers

LED-embedded, frosted acrylic seats

Reference