Spartanburg Swing

Hampton Heights – National Beta Headquarters – 267 South Spring Street
This installation is no longer on view

Twenty-six four-foot-long pendulums are evenly distributed across the glass facade of the National Beta Headquarters building. Their slow one-second pulse animates the surface of the concrete and glass structure.

Mixing the arc of a pendulum with the off-the-shelf electronics of a small fan and LED flashlight, Spartanburg Swing creates a visual dance. This kinetic work is controlled by small microprocessors that turn the fans and the lights on and off. The pulsing movement is created by intermittent fan bursts and the constant tug of gravity.

The site is the international headquarters of National Beta, whose purpose is “to promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, leadership, and service among elementary and secondary school students.” Headquartered in Spartanburg, the organization has more than 8,750 clubs nationally and internationally.

The Hampton Heights neighborhood, comprised of homes built between the 1880s and the 1920s, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

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photos courtesy of Steven Stinson