This art piece was commissioned for a troubled park where criminals shoot out the streetlights, deal drugs, and chase away the children. We met with members of the community as we designed the piece and visited the park many times day and night. Public Drums is a sophisticated and rugged musical instrument that glows brilliantly at night. It is designed to encourage individual performance and positive group interaction. We took no chances, cladding it entirely in bulletproof polycarbonate.

Many people cannot play a drum set, but they are comfortable tapping out a beat with their fingers. This drum works by tapping on the 4 metal circles on the head of the drum. Each circle plays a different sound, and the sound can be changed by touching the smaller button inside each metal circle. There is also a knob that users can turn to change the pitch of the sounds they are playing. People of all ages start with a simple beat and often move to more complex compositions.