Trojan Rocking Horses galloping into downtown
Article originally published on September 29, 2022 at Florida Weekly website. Read the original article HERE.
Trojan Rocking Horses, consisting of eight life-sized rocking horses, each custom-designed by local children during design workshops and then fabricated locally under the guidance of Finnish artist and architect Marco Casagrande, will be installed in downtown West Palm Beach. COURTESY PHOTO
The West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, with support from the West Palm Beach Arts & Entertainment District, today announced the winner in its search for “The Next Big Thing” — a quest to bring a unique and imaginative outdoor experience to the heart of the city.
A community wide project called Trojan Rocking Horses was chosen from a search that generated more than 20 international submissions aimed at engaging the West Palm Beach community, downtown residents, and visitors.
Trojan Rocking Horses consists of eight life-sized rocking horses, each custom designed by local children during design workshops and then fabricated locally, under the guidance of Finnish artist and architect Marco Casagrande. The horses will begin their journey through various communities in West Palm Beach collecting messages from citizens.
“This project is special because it directly involves the community from beginning to end, and truly is a project of, by, and for the people in West Palm Beach,” Sherryl Muriente, public realm director for the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, said in a statement. “It will give local residents the opportunity to express their ideas and vision for the future of downtown West Palm Beach through a visible expression of the community’s voice, empowering them in the process, as they build something together.”
Mr. Casagrande, a five-time invitee to the Venice Architecture Biennale and a recipient of the UNESCO Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, envisions each horse as work of art and a gathering source for a community’s ideas and visions for the future of Downtown West Palm Beach.
Upon arrival downtown, there will be a performance where the horses are placed as interactive sculptures that will symbolically deliver these aspirational messages to the heart of the city.
The horses will continue to collect inspiring messages from the community as they remain downtown. Several times each year, the messages will be reviewed and published as both an online and printed newspaper.
The goal of The Next Big Thing Project was to inspire placemakers to create a new experience that would be interactive, unique to the place, artistic, and ignite the community’s imagination. Applicants were asked to interpret the theme in their own, original, creative way reflecting on the idea of sparking moments of fascination, wonder, and imagination.
With the selection process complete, the West Palm Beach DDA will work with Mr. Casagrande and his team to bring this project to life over the next several months.
Info: www.DowntownWPB.com or 561-833-8873. ¦
Article originally published on September 29, 2022 at Florida Weekly website. Read the original article HERE.