Lawn On D Is Lighting Up Park Space with New ‘Swing’ Installation

courtesy photo

Developers of Lawn on D, the new outdoor venue in South Boston that runs alongside the Convention and Exhibition Center, are lighting up an outdoor art installation created by a local architectural firm on Thursday.

Called “Swing Time,” the 20 moon-shaped seats, outfitted with an internal LED lighting system, will glow in the night and allow people visiting the site of the grownup playground to interact with them physically. When a person sits on the rings, based on their movements the colors of the circular seats will change.

The magic behind the color-changing seats lies inside of each individual orb. The pieces of the playful artwork are equipped with a microcontroller and accelerometer that reacts to the shift in both speed and motion, causing them to transition from blues to purples as people swing back and forth.

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, the agency that runs Lawn on D, commissioned Meejin Yoon and Eric Höweler of Höweler + Yoon Architecture to construct the illuminating swing set.

Patrons of Lawn on D’s opening weekend back in August got a sampling of the swinging art, when one piece of the installation was featured at the inaugural event, but the 19 other parts of the greater project are being added Wednesday, one day ahead of the unveiling.

The lighting ceremony on Thursday, September 11, will be accompanied by a series of outdoor events including a live swing band, other interactive art exhibits, Bocce, ping-pong, and food and drinks.

To learn more about Lawn on D, check out these photos of the park’s debut back in August.