Ring Ring Swing

For the 2021 Summer Pavillion at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the Ring Ring Swing examines and interprets the unusual experience of the recent pandemic, isolation, and togetherness through play. The scheme is composed of individual swings, organized around a large circumference pushing to the garden’s less-visited periphery. It invites visitors to engage the familiar NVG Gardens in a novel way - sitting on the edge to look back at the typically busy and occupied center.

Each swing is a musical instrument, with the swinging movement transferred to a hammer that intermittently strikes a bell above. As one can only discover each bell’s sound through experience, visitors are encouraged to try out multiple swings, and in the process, move through the garden in unexpected ways.

At the end of the commission, Ring Ring Swing may be disassembled into smaller segments of 2-5 swings and donated to parks and playgrounds around Melbourne and other pandemic affected communities - a record of a time we stayed apart to come together.