Leni Schwendinger

Leni Schwendinger discusses her inspiration and process in creating a lighting design for the Parachute Jump including color selection and finding a way to express the feeling and movement of the Parachute Jump when it was a working ride. She compares a lighting program to a musical composition in that they are both time-based. She consulted with the many stakeholders in the project to represent the seasons, major events, and diverse visitors to Coney Island. She describes the colors and lighting effects she used to represent these different themes.

Leni and her team worked for weeks on overnight shifts from their van parked near the Parachute Jump, programming and testing the lighting sequences. She shares some stories from that period about her creative process and interactions with

As rezoning allows the addition of taller buildings in Coney Island, the Parachute Jump might soon share the skyline it has always dominated. Leni and Charles talk about the forces behind change in Coney Island and how they might impact the area.