Lateral Office, an experimental design practice co-founded by Daniels Faculty associate professor Mason White, created Impulse in 2016. The public art installation consists of a series of see-saws, which light up and make sounds when they're used by passersby.

Impulse was a hit when it debuted in Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles, and the installation has since toured the world and won several prestigious design awards, including the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Urban Design Award. Impulse's lighting was done by CS Design, and its sound designer was Mitchell Akiyama, an assistant professor at the Daniels Faculty.

The piece is currently on loan to the Garment District Alliance, a New York non-profit, who have installed it on Broadway, in midtown Manhattan. There, the eye-catching teeter-totters attracted the attention of the New York Times.

The Times writes:

Sandra Lindum and Deirdre Amendolaro said they each brought their children to the art exhibit so the young ones could experience a piece of New York that’s become increasingly hard to find.

“I remember when we could just run outside and jump on one of these old rusty things,” said Ms. Lindum, who grew up in Queens. “Now they’re art. It’s the new New York, I guess,” she added with a giggle.

Arianna Rosario, 26, said she was walking along Broadway with her friends Nikita Nelson and Stephanie Centeno when she spotted the dazzling lights of the seesaws — and the ecstatic sounds of riders. “It’s fun to be that high up. It brings you back to your childhood,” Ms. Rosario said.

Impulse will remain on display in New York until February 1. Read the rest of the New York Times article here.

Photograph: Impulse in Manhattan. By Alexandre Ayer/Diversity Pictures LLC.