Full Circle

Full Circle takes an element commonly found in parks and playgrounds – the swing-set – and by questioning its conventional linear arrangement achieves a transformation that is abstract, spatial, political and interactive. The project stems from an interest in spaces of play, in the broadest definition of that term, as places that can be used to liberate the individual from the generic and enrich everyday experience.

  Questioning the basic relationships between people in space, the project aims for a socially conscious and thereby political engagement. Further, by bringing a piece of playground equipment together with the charged spatial arrangement of political round-tables and corporate boardrooms, the installation takes a playful construct and positions it in the adult world.

Aiming to create socially conscious dialogue, the project is positioned where diverse Buffalo communities intersect and is adjacent to International School #45 whose student body represents 70 countries and 44 languages. ‘Full Circle’ was supported by a vigorous grassroots campaign to engage the teachers, parents, administrators, city council members, community activists, and neighbors to take active ownership of this work of art. Nestled in a typical West Side empty lot and taking the elements of a swing-set as a starting point, ‘Full Circle’ twists the reference to become an abstracted and engaging interactive installation.

Full Circle, Buffalo
Program: playground
Architect: Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster
Commissioned by: CEPA Gallery and C.S.1 Curatorial Projects
Completion: 2016