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As the mercury dips across the northern hemisphere, a hush typically descends on cities as residents spend more time indoors. But a new project by Montréal-based art and design studio Daily Tous les Jours aims to give residents in South Bend, Indiana, a reason to stay on its snowy streets. In Plaza Park on the city’s riverfront, it has installed a new set of public benches called Daydreamer.

Canadian collective Daily tous les jours imagines a world where public play is commonplace with Daydreamer, a set of spinning benches that provides a space to connect

We’re never too old to take a few minutes to stop and play, which is what Daily tous les jours reminds us of with each of its projects. Daydreamer is a kinetic sculpture that brings together music and light to create a collective experience at Plaza Park in South Bend, Indiana. The gently rotating public benches are illuminated and accompanied by pleasant music as they turn with the user.

Interview with Daily tous les jours co-founder, Melissa Mongiat, to discuss the power of play music, and dance, as well as the role of humour in their work. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

« The avenue explored by Melissa is music and dance, with all the transformative power that comes with creating (together) music and experiencing your body in space. All of this is embodied in various devices and installations, playful indeed, but which encourage listening, collaboration, and connection with others. The sum of these small, innocuous moments of exchange contributes, according to Melissa, to a greater social cohesion. » *Available in French only

« Considering technology as a vehicle for social change is an important part of our approach,” Andraos says. “[Mongiat] was looking at participation in public spaces, and I wanted to see how technology could be used in a way to connect people. »

The book by Jenny Grettve is a series of interviews with 33 international actors in diverse fields of urban development, notably Indy Johar from Dark Matter Labs, Nina Rappaport from the Vertical Urban Factory from Yale University, Ben Fee from OMG Cameras everywhere… on How To Shape a New Urban Life.

Daily tous les jours work on the principle that public space installations need to be part of people’s everyday lives and habits. When working in public spaces (…)

Space as a Medium of Communication, wrote by Tricia Austin, Director of the MA in Narrative Environments at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, UK.