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January 5×5 Night at Start Garden
Voting Closes:

January 20, 2025 11:59 pm

About this idea
"The Oval" is not just a passive art piece you walk past... it’s a fully interactive, sensory experience designed to bring people together. Imagine a waist-height, oval-shaped structure seamlessly integrated into a public park with motion sensors, dynamic lighting, and sound elements. As people approach or move around the installation, they trigger lights and sounds, creating a multi-sensory experience that changes depending on how the crowd interacts. The structure itself is modular and scalable, meaning it can be adapted to any park or public space and can evolve based on community input. We’ve designed it to be weatherproof and sustainable so that it can exist year-round, rain or shine. And here's the fun part: we can customize the experience—imagine a city's installation syncing with local events, holidays, or cultural moments. We could even have real-time updates, where music or sounds are influenced by what’s happening in the city. The possibilities for community events, interactive workshops, and collaborations with local artists are endless. Plus, we envision this as a platform for brand partnerships and sponsorships, adding another layer of economic vitality to the project. It’s interactive public art that sparks curiosity, conversation, and connection!
Impact
"The Oval" is a total game-changer for public spaces. It flips the script on how we think about parks, turning them into interactive playgrounds for all ages. Forget just walking or sitting; with "The Oval," people wave their hands, triggering lights and sounds, and suddenly, a casual stroll becomes a fun, shared experience. It gets people talking, laughing, and connecting, making it the ultimate social spark. But the impact goes deeper. It’s about giving people a reason to get outside, engage with their city, and play again—because who doesn’t need a bit more play in their life, right? It's like inviting everyone, from families to tourists to creatives, to rediscover the magic of public spaces in a completely new and unexpected way. And here's the kicker: it boosts the local economy. Drawing in foot traffic turns parks into hotspots for local businesses, and it’s the kind of thing that will make people go, "Hey, let’s head to the park to check that out!" Plus, it puts Minneapolis on the map as a leader in urban innovation. This isn’t just art—it’s art with a pulse. It’s a whole vibe.
What I'll do with $5,000
With $5,000, we’ll kickstart the prototyping phase of "The Oval." First, we’ll use the funds to secure the materials—think motion sensors, LED lights, sound equipment, and sustainable materials for the structure. This cash will also help cover the design and engineering costs to ensure everything looks and feels right. We’ll build a scaled prototype that we can test with the community. Early feedback will help us finetune the interactive experience before going bigger. The goal is to get people hands-on with it as soon as possible and spark excitement about what’s coming next. Plus, $5,000 will help us build momentum. We’ll put some towards marketing—launching a social media campaign to create buzz and keep the community involved from day one. In short, this funding gets "The Oval" off the ground, gets people talking, and brings us one step closer to creating something magical in the city!
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