Continuing the National Building Museum's tradition of Summer Block Party installations, LAB at Rockwell Group introduces Lawn for Summer 2019. Celebrating and exploring the public and private identities of a lawn as an iconic communal space for interaction and performance, we created a space to inspire people to share stories, make memories, and daydream.
The ticketing area features park benches and a building-scale mural of the sky, composed of a pixelated cloudscape made up of classic summertime icons.
Lawn is a state of mind.
Our installation is a vast, sloping greenspace that consumes the first two bays of the Museum’s Great Hall. Arriving at the base, guests are met with a green expanse, set on a graceful incline and dotted with clusters of communal lounging areas.
Hammocks suspended from the ceiling contain hidden speakers programmed with pre-recorded audio from over 20 prominent American storytellers.
Tales from Bette Midler, Venus Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Jose Andres, and other actors, chefs, and architects highlight shared themes of community and placemaking, further immersing visitors into the feeling of summer.
“To me that’s what a lawn does. It just gives you the opportunity to think.”
“There’s just something about connecting your body with the grass and the earth with nothing between it.”
Lawn is programmed and activated throughout the day with summer entertainment and activities, including movies, yoga, meditation, and a series of site-specific dance performances.
