These human-sized leaves were spray-painted on Boston Common to encourage social distancing
“This leaf pattern is a temporary installation, to encourage staying safely apart while enjoying the beauty of the park."
Human-sized leaves have been spray-painted around a portion of Boston Common, with the idea that individuals or small groups can sit inside them to stay socially distant from others in one of the city’s most visited parks.
The 56 socially-distant leaves around the Parkman Bandstand were installed by the Mayor’s Mural Crew, a Parks and Recreation program that creates neighborhood landmarks within Boston’s parks and playgrounds. Each leaf was measured by workers before they spray-painted the grass using a hand-made stencil. The Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics also helped with the design and implementation planning.
“Inspired by other Parks and Recreation Departments across the country, like San Francisco and New York City, the Boston Parks Department decided to take this idea and put our own spin on it,” a post on the city’s website reads. “We hope that this installation will encourage social distancing, and help our park goers remain safe and healthy.”
Workers with the program tweeted their progress last week, along with photos showing them measuring where each leaf would be sprayed onto the grass.
“This leaf pattern is a temporary installation, to encourage staying safely apart while enjoying the beauty of the park,” the tweet says.
The effort is similar to a widely publicized effort in New York City, where white circles were painted this spring at Brooklyn’s Domino Park.
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