Isometric Studio

Cloud Swing

 

A public art installation that encourages accessibility, community gathering, mindfulness, and play

Centering accessibility in public space

Cloud Swing is a monumental sculpture and artwork that uplifts accessibility for all, encouraging shared mindfulness and play. Two wheelchair accessible swings and three plank swings are suspended from a cloud-shaped canopy, formed from 100+ ft of curved steel pipe and lifted on tripod legs. The structure is painted electric blue, and the swings face each other, creating a vibrant and inclusive space for communal encounter.

The disability community is often subjected to humiliating and infantilizing treatment, most often in spaces of public accommodation and travel. Cloud Swing is a manifesto on how public spaces can and should celebrate inclusion. It centers self-driven accessibility as a source of creative expression instead of the erroneous way it is typically viewed: an obstruction to “good design” and an afterthought. The project is not only about individual representation for people with disabilities but also about community gathering and visibility at the intersection of various identities. Nestled among trees at Grounds for Sculpture, the installation is a site of community gathering, rest, and imagination.

Read more about Cloud Swing: “On the Up and Up,” Urban Omnibus, December 7, 2022

The future is accessible. The future is inclusive. The future is good design. The future is fun.

Isometric developed Cloud Swing with support from the Wellcome Trust Mindscapes program and INCLUDEnyc, the most prominent NYC non-profit dedicated to equity and access for young people with disabilities. Trina Hazell, an activist and Ms. Wheelchair New York 2018, began this journey with the studio during the design development phase of the project, offering helpful advice about safety and comfort. She was also the first person to test the accessible swing and to ride the swing when it was installed at Grounds for Sculpture! The sculpture was engineered and fabricated by Serett Metalworks and installed by Oliver Construction.