Swingtones was designed as a unique art installation to be built by 88 youth summer campers between the ages of 7 and 17 years old. With a budget of $10,000 and the resources made available to the campers, the installation mixed and balanced intellectual stimulation with the development of sustainable craftsmanship, environmental awareness, the creation of art, and the joy of simply having fun.

The campers built unique wooden swings and interconnected sculptural chimes hanging from the tree canopy. These chimes bob up and down to create patterns of sound to the combined rhythms of all the swings’ movements. A wire pulley network translates the lateral movement of each swing to create the right amount of vertical movement for multiple chimes.