Interactive playground by WON JI LIM EXPLORES rituals of control
Created by Chicago-based South Korean artist Won Ji Lim, Shifting Center (2026–ongoing) is a participatory sculptural installation that translates personal rituals of control, such as counting, checking, and aligning objects, into a physical, interactive environment. Measuring approximately 9 × 9 × 6 feet, the modular structure is constructed from metal pipes and connectors, forming a framework reminiscent of a playground jungle gym. The installation integrates suspended objects, woven membranes, transparent pockets, balancing mechanisms, and a series of rule-based activities that visitors can physically enter and navigate.
Shifting Center is a participatory sculptural environment in which movable structures, suspended materials, and personal rules form an evolving system of order and adjustment | all images ©Won Ji Lim
The artwork is a self-contained system, open to physical additions
The project by artist Won Ji Lim pairs structural framework with unstable or organic materials. Hog casing is tightly woven across sections of the metal frame, undergoing physical shifts as it stretches and dries over time to demonstrate the limits of fixed structural order. A suspended plumb bob set within a hand-woven square visualizes the process of seeking physical balance, while transparent pockets hold archived written thoughts that are photographed and re-integrated into the system to document the installation’s ongoing assembly. Additional interactive components include a converted baseball rebounder with a target graphic, numbered tags, and colored beads. Designed to be reconfigured over time, the modular installation functions as an evolving system where visitor movements continuously alter the spatial dynamics.
visitors enter the framework and interact with its activities, introducing unpredictable decisions into a system initially organized by the artist
a participant moves within the installation, where personal rituals become shared activities, and the framework is experienced through bodily negotiation