A Swing Of Epic Proportions
Australian architect Jesse Lockhart-Krause has proposed ‘Balloon Swing’ for the Folly 2015 competition by the Architectural League in Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, New York.
Whilst the title ‘Balloon Swing’ does absolutely nothing for the imagination, the project itself could have been plucked straight from a childhood fantasy. It features a full sized, fully coloured, hot-air balloon, allowing man, woman and child to sail into the air whilst seated on a swing. In his concept, Lockhart-Krause imagines a rope swing attached to the balloon whilst it is still tethered to the ground, allowing its childish users of all ages to safely swing in the midst of the trees at Long Island City. The balloon’s hot air inflation system is used to lower the seat to allow you to hop on the swing and then is lifted up by changing the temperature of the air.
The winner of the Folly 2015 competition is still to be announced in March, but if Lockhart-Krause’s project is chosen, the swing would be located in a small clearing in the park. According to the architect, the interactive concept for the whole family was designed with this grove-like space in mind.
The Folly Competition which takes place for the 4th time in 2015 is sponsored by the Architectural League of New York and Socrates Sculpture Park and calls for emerging architects to create projects that use space, material and/ or process to create a physical experience. The winner of the installation is awarded a $5,000 production grand for the installation of their project.
