Into the swing: Art fair comes full circle

Hasselt, Belgium – ‘How can art, design and creativity make the city a more enjoyable place to be?’ According to art collective LABO, which is taking part in the TransPlant festival around the streets and squares of Hasselt, 42 urban slides are the answer.

For the Swing It project, on show until mid-November, artists designed quirky slides, including Felt the Circle, a big red circle that users can stand on and swing. Another features a picture of a woman with extended plaits acting as the ropes that hold the swing.

TransPlant also features Animal Vegetation, a guerrilla gardening project inspired by street art and designed to make the city greener. Participants are asked to make a 3D doll, fill it with earth and seeds, and grow a patch of green ‘graffiti’.

The festival is a great example of how the community can be brought together in a live, playful way, a theme explored in our Rurban Revolution and Conviviality Culture reports.