100 MILES OF STRING
An interactive artwork where 100 miles of string is handed out to the public to weave, wind and criss-cross around and in-between a set of large wooden structures. Over the hours and days the space is completely transformed as the web of string grows and becomes ever more complex and dense. This is an event for people of all ages to play, explore and work together to create a temporary landmark for the city.
100 Miles of String was inspired by Marcel Duchamp's design for the 1942 'First First Papers of Surrealism' exhibition in New York where he covered the displays in a mile of string, transforming the space and making some artworks all but inaccessible. He also invited children to the opening and instructed them to play playground games as the gallerists and collectors sipped their champagne.
Duchamp's mile of string
We wanted to know what would happen if we invited the public to create their own playful and anarchic space by handing out string and asking them to do with it as they pleased. Originally, we handed out 1 mile to the participants in existing spaces including, Young V&A, Orleans House and the Wiggle Pavilion at the London Festival of Architecture, using the string to transform the architecture of the spaces and creating dense webs that could be clambered through and played within. In 2024 Brighton Festival commissioned us to create 100 Miles of String which would see 100 miles handed out over the 25 days of the festival and for which we created a set of large wooden structures which would allow the piece to take place outdoors. Over 19000 people of all ages joined us over the weeks and created a dense web of string that filled Brighton’s Pavilion Gardens, creating a temporary monument for the city.
Mile of String images from Young V&A and London Festival of architecture
CONTACT US AT
info@leapthenlook.org.uk
