The Urban Conga 

Molecules 

New York City, New York 

On view Nov. 8–17 

Molecules is a series of broken-down water molecules rising from the Arizona Canal and coming to life through the reflection and refraction of light. The installation showcases that, much like our communities, the water within the canal is created by a series of interpersonal connections between neighboring elements. 

To create a hydrogen bond connecting each of the water molecules, it takes a series of neighboring pieces connecting and responding to one another. Molecules uses the physical reflection of light and sound to create an experience that allows us to connect and engage with our neighbors and surrounding environment in a new way. The lights in Molecules begin to respond to sounds made by users at designated points adjacent to the work, creating an opportunity to spark a reaction within the molecules. 

Each molecule is a truncated icosahedron form that contains thirty-two faces, which each reflect and refract off each other, creating a color-changing, kaleidoscope-like experience—an experience that constantly shifts and responds to its users based on their location to the art. Various openings are made within the molecule atoms to create opportunities for different views, encouraging visitors to move around the work and down the canal.   

Biography 

The Urban Conga is an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio based in Brooklyn, New York, and led by Ryan Swanson and Maeghann Coleman. The studio is focused on sparking community interaction and social activity through open-ended play. Their work encourages people to think about the value of play beyond the playground and how creating more play everywhere can dramatically impact our daily lives. To achieve this, they utilize play methodologies as a critical tool within their designs. Focusing on creating inclusive multiscale spatial opportunities that transform once-overlooked or underutilized situations into stimulating creative outlets that evoke our innate drive to discover, explore, and empathize with others through play. Through this work, they have collaborated worldwide with municipal agencies, communities, institutions, private businesses, NGOs, and more, delivering a wide variety of work from multiscale spatial interventions, public installations, temporary activations, workshops, development plans, and public policy recommendations.