The Impulse Leicester Square seesaws gave me a reason to stop in the gardens on a rainy day in 2016. This was a very quick visit: two rows of long white seesaws had turned part of the square into a place to play. Children were already making use of them, despite the weather.
From the Roberts London archive: the original video was published on 10 October 2016. This article records that visit and the installation as it appeared then.
How the Impulse Leicester Square seesaws worked
At rest, the seesaws sat horizontally, parallel with the ground. Once people climbed on and began moving up and down, they lit up and produced sound through built-in speakers. The intensity changed as the seesaws moved, so taking part was what brought the artwork to life.
It was an easy idea to understand without reading an explanation. You could watch the rows from the path, then see what happened when someone started playing. Against the trees, lawns and surrounding buildings, the long white beams made an unusual addition to the gardens.
A daytime glimpse of a light installation
It was overcast enough to make out the lights, although I imagined the effect would be much stronger after dark. My film stays firmly in the daytime: this is a look at the installation in use during a wet London afternoon.
The organisers described a work built around repetition, variation, light and sound. Watching the children, though, I suspected their explanation would have been much simpler. These were illuminated seesaws, and they looked like fun. That was the part that came across most clearly during my short stop.
Around Leicester Square gardens
After looking along the rows, I continued through the gardens and back towards the busy paths around the square. The film catches benches, trees and people passing through, as well as the seesaws themselves. It is a small snapshot of Leicester Square in autumn 2016.
For another outdoor artwork from the same month, see my visit to Zak Ové’s installation at Somerset House.
