The West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA), with support from the West Palm Beach Arts & Entertainment District, launched an international call in its search for “The Next Big Thing” — a quest to bring a unique and imaginative outdoor experience to the heart of the city of West Palm Beach. From over 20 international submissions, a community-wide project called “Trojan Rocking Horses” by Finnish architecture company Casagrande Laboratory was chosen.
The goal of The Next Big Thing Project was to inspire placemakers to create a new experience that would be interactive, unique to the place, artistic, and ignite the community’s imagination.
Trojan Rocking Horses consists of eight life-sized rocking horses, each custom-designed by local children during design workshops and then fabricated locally, under the guidance of world-renowned Finnish artist and architect Marco Casagrande. The horses will begin their journey through various communities in West Palm Beach collecting messages from West Palm Beach citizens.