"Swing," was a reinforced concrete sculpture by Clement Meadmore. Its size of twelve feet in height, eighteen feet in width, and twelve feet in width is meant to negotiate between its urban setting and the human scale.
This sculpture was commissioned by the Public Arts Council's Neighborhood Environmental Sculpture Program (NESP) in 1972. The program sought to bring works of public art to the Inwood and Washington Heights as selected by the residents of each neighborhood. Meadmore's "Swing," is one of the five pieces chosen by a panel of art professionals and city-wide ballot, supplemented by a mobile exhibition and art-education workshops. The program had initially planned for ten permanent structures to be installed, however, various constraints cut the final roster in half, and determined the installations temporary. NESP aimed to encourage local determination from Inwood and Washington Heights, but the selection and feedback process ultimately constrained the very voices they wanted to empower.
Meadmore's "Swing" was the first of the five public sculptures to be installed. An observation came later, stating that if the sculpture had been meant as a play-piece, a mat should be installed underneath it to prevent climbing children from hurting themselves. This comment foreshadowed the sculpture's ultimate removal.