What began back in 2011 as a parting gift for an agency I was at in Amsterdam with my team partner, has since turned into a pet project that I’ve taken with me from city to city.
That agency had a tree in the middle of their office, and we felt something was missing. So we added some joy.
That feeling of adding joy became a thing I wanted to do in the form of swings. In Cairo, me and some friends salvaged old planks of wood, painted them and headed out in the middle of the night to hang them up (it was the safest time to do so). A few years later, a disposed cupboard door I found on the street in London was inspiration to do it all over again. I painted it, got rope, climbed a tree in London Fields one summer and got to see people enjoying it for less than 3 hours (the council wasn’t too happy with it). Although the swing joy didn’t always last, it was always fun to make and enjoy, if only for a fun moment.
Maybe it’s time to try it again soon.
If you feel like making a swing, let me know. I know how to knot that knot.