A new art installation in Liberty Plaza intends to spark play and social interaction in Ann Arbor.

Oscillation relies on people’s movements to create different colors, sounds, and pitches when they interact with it. The installation features five crystal-shaped pieces and acts like a theremin—a musical instrument that you can play without touching it.

“The idea of a theremin interested us because of how it could be played with motion, and we had been wanting to think of a way to enlarge that interaction in the public space,” said Ryan Swanson, whose Brooklyn, New York-based design studio, The Urban Conga, created Oscillation.

“This work felt like the perfect opportunity to develop that interaction to become a public instrument for communal interaction.”

As part of that communal interaction, people will be able to experience Oscillation starting January 17.

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is collaborating with The Urban Conga and its touring partner Creos to bring the installation to the city through March 16.

 “We wanted a temporary installation and … Liberty Plaza is a good fit because it’s an open space and unique to our downtown,” said Sandra Andrade, a program specialist with the DDA.

“The goal is to bring something downtown in the wintertime to get people out, and hopefully do other things while they’re downtown, but also to have a good experience after they see a movie, go out to eat, or [go] to a museum.”

Oscillation also serves as the initial project for Elevate, the DDA’s new placemaking program. It aims to fund public art and placemaking installations that enhance the downtown experience for all.

“This is our first installation, and we’re hoping to do a temporary installation every winter,” Andrade said. “We’re excited to be leaning into creating more fun and engaging opportunities downtown for people.”

The DDA is launching a promotional campaign on social media and around the city. Sidewalk decals starting at the Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown location and the bus station will direct people to the installation.

“With our social media campaign, we’re hoping to do a call for people to engage with it and share [their interactions] with the installation,” said Andrade, who’s partnering with several city groups to promote and feature Oscillation.

“We will have free bookmarks at all the library branches, and we’ll have some banners hanging up.”

In addition to speaking with Andrade about Oscillation, we also conducted an email interview with The Urban Conga’s Ryan Swanson and Maeghann Coleman and their partner Creos.

Q: How did your artistic journey start and lead to a career in architecture and design? 
Maeghann Coleman (MC): We both went into architecture school not knowing the direction we wanted to go, and it was the study of architecture and design that led to our artistic journeys. Going to architecture school taught us the basic principles of how to design and create spaces for people. Through our studies in architecture, we became more aware of how to develop these opportunities that allowed people to shape and transform these designed spaces before, during, and after. Our studies led to us developing a deeper understanding of the [pros] and [cons] of how our cities and communities have been developed over time and inspired us to figure out better ways of creating more inclusive and equitable spaces and places. 

Q: What prompted you to start The Urban Conga in 2014? How has the design studio evolved over the past decade to help increase play in different cities worldwide? 
Ryan Swanson (RS): I started exploring the idea of creating more playable cities as a part of my thesis to receive my master’s in architecture. It was about simply looking at unique ways to activate underutilized spaces in the city I was living in at the time. In 2014, the practice was still in its infancy in every way and I didn’t have a full understanding of how play methodologies could start to shape the design of our built environment. The early work began by hosting giant conga lines through cities on a bike, installing interactive projections on buildings, and pushing giant beach balls around city streets to spark a spontaneous communal connection. From these early guerilla-style play activations, I started The Urban Conga to investigate creating more playable cities as an ecosystem of multiscale playable opportunities for all interwoven within our existing urban fabric. The work continues to explore how these often once overlooked or underutilized situations can turn into inclusive, stimulating creative outlets sparking creativity, exploration, and free choice learning through open-ended play.

Maeghann has always been a part of the early development of the practice since we met in architecture school but [she] came on as a full partner in 2021. At that point in time, we had started looking at [how] our play methodologies were valuable not only in the physical work we were creating but within the process in which we were creating that work. We started looking at our practice at three scales. We have a full line of playable products, touring and temporary work, and permanent installation design with and for specific communities and stakeholders. Each of these has specific impacts they bring to creating more inclusive, healthier, and more equitable cities and communities.

Q: When did you first envision the concept of Oscillation? How did it become a touring art installation? 
RS: Oscillation was first developed as a temporary art piece for an event called ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan [in 2018]. Oscillation was developed with the idea that it would tour in the future, so we wanted it to feel site-specific but also have adaptability with its layout. To do this, we created the piece out of a Voronoi algorithm that deconstructed a solid cube into sections that allow the work to take on different formations in different sites but still feel connected.

Q: How did that lead to creating an art installation that uses sight, sound, and movement to stimulate social interaction and open-ended play in public spaces? How did the installation’s final design result in a solid cube that’s composed of five parts? 
MC: We always try to look for new ways to create engaging work that utilizes open-ended play to encourage people to stop and interact with the work, the people around them, and their environment in new ways within the built environment. Open-ended play is the idea that there is never an end result, and the playable opportunity becomes endless allowing you to keep coming back to the work to engage and discover. Using a combination of sight, sound, and movement creates endless possibilities for people to engage, whether by direct interaction or by being a spectator in the space.

We wanted to create a series of unique pieces that were still modular and formally connected to one another. We utilized a Voronoi algorithm to break up the solid cube into these five parts that could be placed in an endless amount of formations and adapt to new locations.

Q: How does Oscillation create different colors, sounds, and pitches when people interact with it? How does it help transform different public spaces into fun, creative, and immersive places? 
MC: We utilized the interactions of sight and sound with Oscillation as tools of open-ended play. With our work, we like to have multiple ways to interact with a piece to allow those who might not be able to engage in one way to have another way of connecting to the work. The playability of the work allows users the space to have a moment with one another and connect without potentially ever even talking to each other. The amazing thing about sharing a moment of play is that it does not matter who you are and how different we might be—we become two people fully connected playing together in that moment.

RS: Oscillation utilizes a dichroic film that allows the colors of the work to shift and change based on the angle at which it is viewed. During the day, the work reflects and refracts the natural light and surrounding environment. At night, the work takes on a different effect through internal illumination. As you walk or dance through the work, you will begin to notice the colors shifting and changing. To create the theremin-like effect, we obviously didn’t want to create a giant electromagnetic field, so we utilized distance sensors that allow your movement to control the pitches and tones of the work. Every inch you move from the sensor, you can play a different note. We have seen people use their hands to play songs or people use their bodies to dance through the work creating organic songs of motion. The playable interactions with color and sound in the work were created to allow for accessibility in that anyone can play and engage with the work in their own way.

Q: How do you partner with Creos to transport and install Oscillation in different city public spaces? 
RS: Creos has been an amazing partner for us to help share this work worldwide. They work with the client and us to figure out an appropriate layout for the work in the specific site chosen to show the work. Creos fully understands our mission of having work that is public-facing, inclusive, and accessible. It is great to partner with a company that has similar goals and values.

Creos: Since its debut in 2020, the collaboration between The Urban Conga and Creos has been key to Oscillation’s successful global tour. As the agent and tour producer, Creos oversees every step of the process, ensuring the artwork is adapted and optimized for presentation in any environment—be it winter or summer.

The process begins with careful site planning. Creos works closely with local teams to identify the best location within the chosen public space to ensure Oscillation delivers the most engaging experience while maintaining optimal technical performance.

For installation, Creos provides an experienced chief installer to guide the local assembly team. This ensures a seamless setup, with clear communication to meet the expectations of our presenting partners. We prioritize safety throughout the project—during setup, the event itself, and dismantling.

Additionally, Creos coordinates with local operations and logistics teams to guarantee a smooth installation process and flawless presentation, maintaining the highest standards for safety, quality, and audience engagement.

Q: When did you and Creos start working with the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority to bring Oscillation to the city? 
Creos: Creos’ collaboration with Ann Arbor’s Downtown Development Authority began last spring when they expressed their desire to showcase an interactive installation that would be engaging and “winter-friendly.” It has been a pleasure to work with them to bring their vision to life and to present Oscillation to the Ann Arbor community. We’ll ensure an efficient and safe setup so that everything is ready for Oscillation’s debut on January 17 at Liberty Plaza.

Q: What other thoughts, feelings, and experiences do you hope people take away from Oscillation in Ann Arbor? 
MC: We hope people use the work to connect with their neighbors and the surrounding environment in new ways and that the work creates a spontaneous opportunity for joy and wonder in Ann Arbor. Play has the power to break down social barriers and physically connect people within a space. … Our hope with all of our work is that people utilize it as a way to share a moment of social connection with a stranger.

Q: What’s up next for Oscillation after the installation wraps up on March 16 in Ann Arbor? How do you see the installation evolving in the future? 
MC: The installation takes on a different life in every location it is shown. We look forward to the work continuing to spark moments of play, wonder, and joy in new places around the world. There could definitely be an opportunity to add more deconstructed cubes to the set to allow the world to expand even more in scale.

Lori Stratton is a library technician, writer for Pulp, and writer and editor of strattonsetlist.com.

Oscillation is free and open to the public. It runs January 17-March 16 from 7 am-10 pm every day in Liberty Plaza, 310 South Division Street, Ann Arbor.