A giant, three-dimensional textile environment for children by noted Japanese artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam opens on Saturday at San Diego’s New Children’s Museum.
The 28-by-20 foot “Whammock!” resembles a giant hammock of crocheted circles, open pockets and dangling pendulums. It’s intended to be a one-of-a-kind place for children to climb, play and interact with others.
“To me, the concept of Whammock! is to connect with others through the waves of vibration in the net,” MacAdam said. “If a child climbs, jumps or crawls in one place then another child will feel the vibration and respond with their action, and in this way, they are naturally communicating to one another.”
The installation is MacAdam’s first large-scale work at a museum in the United States. It’s also the most recent artist commission for the downtown museum, which is unique in the world of children’s museums for its practice of collaborating with contemporary artists to create playscapes.
“When my husband, Charles, and I first came to the New Children’s Museum, we had a fantastic first impression and felt it was very forward-thinking,” said MacAdam. We were impressed by how the museum inspires the freedom to create as part of a child’s development and decided we must do a piece here.”
“We just fell in love with the museum,” she said.
The giant structure took nearly 3,600 hours to construct from over 40 miles of braided nylon. The 14 hand-dyed colors reflect MacAdam’s impression of the San Diego landscape, including references to California poppies, the ocean and Mexican cultural influences.
The installation will be open for children to play on at the museum for at least five years.
The museum at 200 West Island Avenue is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
