Trojan Rocking Horses

The Trojan Rocking Horses was conceived to achieve several key objectives:

1. Engaging the community: The project sought to actively involve residents in shaping the future of downtown West Palm Beach.
2. Providing a platform for expression: Using postcards attached to the horses, residents of all ages could anonymously share their visions and dreams for the city.
3. Fostering ownership and participation: The interactive nature of the project aimed to instill a sense of belonging and encourage active involvement in community development.

The project consisted of eight life-sized rocking horses, each designed by local children and fabricated locally under the guidance of world-renowned Finnish artist and architect, Marco Casagrande. Inspired by the stories of the Barefoot Mailman, the horses traveled throughout various neighborhoods, collecting over 1,300 messages from citizens about their hopes and aspirations for the city and downtown area. This innovative approach addressed the challenge of limited traditional community engagement methods by providing a creative and accessible platform for diverse voices to be heard. Following the collection phase, the dreams were analyzed and presented to the community through the Dream Machine workshop. This workshop not only manifested some of the collected dreams into reality but also facilitated the co-design of a mobile community center. This envisioned Dream Machine would serve as a hub for future community engagement and placemaking programming. The Dream Machine is envisioned as an evolving entity, with programming tailored to the desires of the community for their public spaces.