The Adventure Playground: Architectures of Contemporary Play

An image of children playing on a tree in front of a building of flats, with the text 'The Adventure Playgrounds: The Architectures of Contemporary Play' written in black font overlaid onto the image

The Adventure Playground: Architectures of Contemporary Play is a series of exploratory talks and propositions that investigates processes of play and imagination and their role in built environments and the designed spaces of playgrounds in Britain. It brings forward the architectural and political history of playgrounds as dedicated spaces for children across contemporary cities and centres on the idea of ‘creating worlds’.

Through conversations between architects, researchers and curators, this four-part series will survey how playgrounds are used as spaces of rediscovery, reconciliation and recuperation and how contemporary architects, artists and communities returning to the idea of play spaces with a new pioneering spirit, creating environments far beyond the prevailing standards and regulations.

The playground here becomes a breeding ground for the invention of worlds that touches on themes of childhood, radical pedagogy, urban planning, public space, history, and architecture– to be able to trace the history of the imaginary as well as imagined worlds.

The Adventure Playground seeks to ask: how has the concept of play and playscapes created a resurgence of interest among contemporary designers and architects? What ideas did they bring forward in relation to remaking and reimagining the world? How can playgrounds be spaces of learning through creativity, rather than teaching creativity, and how can they subsequently empower new social relations between young people, architectures of play, and pedagogy?

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Recording:

The Adventure Playground: Architectures of Contemporary Play

Dates:

Tue 17 May

Format:

Image

Curator:

Canan Batur

Dates:

1 July, 16 July, 22 July, 27 July

Nottingham Contemporary