Preview from the article
Embedded into the concrete tiles are 36 interactive units, each including a sensor and a responsive light ring. Tapped upon – with a foot, a hand, a wheel or what have you – these units fill the air with sounds corresponding to various instruments: the cimbalom itself in the central circle of interactive tiles, as well as a guitar, a kalimba, a vibraphone, a bass, a harp and a piano. Tapping multiple sensors allows people to play arpeggios, compose numerous melodies, the experience of the installation changing with every visit. Enhancing the sense of play, the integrated LEDs allow for patterns of light to be conjured simultaneously.
Daily tous les jours has been imagining convivial scenarios like these in public spaces around the world since 2010. They’ve placed their Musical Swings in nine cities since the first ones went up in Montreal’s entertainment district in 2011; their Walk Walk Dance brought a massive simulacrum of a piano to the Bentway in Toronto last year, just as the pandemic was at its height and people were craving a sense of release; and the city of South Bend, Indiana, just inaugurated their Daydreamer series of sonorous benches. Their works are constant reminders that play isn’t just for kids – it’s for everyone – and that our shared spaces should encourage it.
