Musical Swings is an urban interactive installation that stimulates human connections in public spaces. Imagined as a collective experience, the work invites people of all ages and backgrounds to make music together. It’s an intuitive game, where cooperation between participants unlocks secret melodies, encouraging collaboration and an active awareness of others.
The artwork originated in 2011 for Montreal’s Quartier des spectacles and quickly became a celebrated icon of the city, returning seasonally every spring for a decade. Year after year, the installation had been a meeting point for millions of fans, who swung more than 8 500 times everyday.
A touring version of the Musical Swings was created for Green Mountain Falls' Greenbox Arts festival in 2014 and has been traveling the world since, notably in New York, San José, West Palm Beach, Detroit, Singapore, Dharhan...
Permanent editions are now also available with a series of adaptive seats.
“I think it’s awesome how it brings people together. It unites people. Creation and art is needed in the city to breathe life back into it. So cool. So fun.”
— From participant interviews
“I have a mood disorder, I was walking downtown to relax, the swings drew me in and calmed me down. I hope they stay forever.”
— From participant interviews
“Inviting cross-generational cooperative, exploratory, open-ended, creative fun”
— A Playful Path
Collective emotions
The Musical Swings take over public spaces with smiles and laughter. People revel at the therapeutic effect when swinging motion and collaborative music making are combined. Participants report feeling like they are making music with their entire bodies; surrendering themselves unexpectedly to a collective performance, almost as if by magic.
Composition
Intuitive play and experimentation are encouraged without requiring any musical knowledge, allowing the public to become co-authors of a constantly evolving composition.
Musical Swings is created by the the award winning art and design studio Daily tous les jours.
Daily tous les jours creates collective experiences for public spaces.
Since 2010, the art and design studio based in Montreal invites humans to play a critical role in the transformation of their environment. From climate action to protecting our democracies, collaboration is more than ever pivotal to living together. We work everyday to enrich the social fabric through collective experiences.
Daily has presented original artworks in more than 40 cities around the world.
Daily tous les jours' Awards & Recognition
UNESCO Creative Cities Design Award for Young Talents | IxDA Interaction Awards (Best in Show, Best Engagement, Best Optimizing) | Knight Cities Challenge for Civic Innovation Winner | Fast Company Innovation by Design Award | Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Award | Core77 Design Awards and Honoree | Design Vanguard Covid-19 Directory | Oprah’s OWN | FRAME Magazine | Dezeen | Creators Project | DesignBoom | This is Colossal | Vimeo Staff Pick | New Cities Summit | Design World Summit | SXSW | EYEO | TEDx | Ars Electronica
