16 January 2010

I am participating in At Play 2 - the second of two exhibitions - being held at South Hill Park, from April 17 to 20 June 2010.

The exhibitions:

are intended to re-create in the viewers . . . a sense of what it is like to be a child at play. The works invite the viewer to watch, to touch, to explore, to trust, to think, to remember, to laugh, to join in, to peer, to bend down, to bounce about, to take a chance . . . or to play.

I am devising slogans inviting people to play / perform playful acts. Each of the slogans will be hand written on boards and displayed either inside, or outside the arts centre. I had intended to ask children at Charlie Chaplin to devise the slogans, but concentrated instead on gathering stories written by the children - these to be published as an edition of A3, my poster style publication.

There is also the possibility that several of the boards will be displayed in Bracknall town centre, a short distance away.

Here are a sample of the slogans (the first one is directly inspired by a boy playing at the playground):

Thrash A Puddle With A Stick

Sing Your Favourite Song To A Bird

Talk Utter Nonsense

Follow Someone And Touch Them On The Shoe Gently

Make Your Shadow Dance

Embrace Someone Who Is Close To You

16 January 2010 (2)

On Wednesday evening (13 January) a round table discussion took place at the South London Gallery, chaired by Frances Williams - Education and Outreach Manager - amongst artists, educationalists, and play workers, around the themes of play, the possible similarities / differences of approach by artists / play workers working with children and young people, and whether children's play has any relationship to contemporary art practice.

Participants included: Tim Gill, Orly Orbach, Jessica Thom, Lauren Willis, and playworkers from the Charlie Chaplin Adventure Playground.

In the spirit of play, a football match was held in the empty gallery, before the discussion. The two sets of doors were perfect as goals and an empty rigging became the sin bin area where players were sent for their offences. I was the referee, insisting on just two rules:

1 If you kicked the ball and it touched the walls you were sent off

2 The decisions of the ref were unquestionable

The game was played in a highly competitive yet fair spirit.

The score was 4 - 1.

The winners were naturally 'over the moon' the losers 'sick as parrots'.

This proved the perfect ice - breaker for the discussion, which was recorded, and I hope to include excerpts of it here in this blog.

To further aid the discussion going, prompt words were written on footballs, for participants to respond to.

The Man in Black

The Sin Bin

16 January 2010 (3)

Being An MP Is Not Child's Play

METRO - 15 January 2010

MP'S are struggling to master a computer game for 11 year olds . . . on how to be an MP. The 'MP For A Week' game features on the official parliament website and is aimed at sparking interest in politics in young people. Metro asked youth minister Dawn Butler to have a go. But she was criticised on day one of the game for putting a footballer on a finance and economy committee. However she managed to salvage her reputation by 'creating a powerful [cut and paste] speech' on lowering the voting age and was praised as an 'excellent MP' overall.

The game can be found at:

www.parliament.uk/education/online-resources/games/mp-for-a-week.htm

Sunday 3 January

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. - Plato

In play, the child becomes master rather than subject. - Alicia Lieberman, Psychologist

Yesterday I visited The Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood with my goddaughter. Inscribed on the windows of the museum are these quotes about play.

Sunday 20 December (2)

A closed round table discussion about Play is being organised to take place at South London Gallery in January, participants to include artists and playworkers, Gallery staff, and Tim Gill.

I have been asked to devise some games / instructions as part of this event.

Sunday 20 December (2)

PLAY |plā|

VERB

1 [intrans.] engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose: the children were playing outside / her friends were playing with their dolls.

• [trans.] engage in (a game or activity) for enjoyment: I want to play Monopoly.
• amuse oneself by engaging in imaginative pretense: the boys were playing cops and robbers.
• (play at) engage in without proper seriousness or understanding: you cannot play at being a Christian.
• (play with) treat inconsiderately for one's own amusement: she likes to play with people's emotions.
• (play with) handle without skill so as to damage or prevent from working: has somebody been playing with the thermostat?

2 [trans.] take part in (a sport) on a regular basis: I play softball and tennis.

• participate in (an athletic match or contest): the Red Sox will play two games on Wednesday.
• compete against (another player or team) in an athletic match or contest: the team will play France on Wednesday.
• [intrans.] [usu. with negative] figurative be cooperative: he needs financial backing, but the bank won't play.
• [intrans.] be part of a team, esp. in a specified position, in a game: he played shortstop.
• strike (a ball) or execute (a stroke) in a game.
• assign to take part in an athletic contest, esp. in a specified position: the manager will want to play the right-handed Curtis.
• move (a piece) or display (a playing card) in one's turn in a game: he played his queen.
• bet or gamble at or on: he didn't play the ponies.

3 [trans.] represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or on film: she played Ophelia.

• [intrans.] perform in a theatrical production or on film: he was proud to be playing opposite a famous actor.
• put on or take part in (a theatrical performance or concert): the show was one of the best we ever played.
• give a dramatic performance at (a particular theater or place).
• behave as though one were (a specified type of person): the skipper played the innocent, but smuggled goods were found on his vessel.
• (play someone for) treat someone as being of (a specified type): don't imagine you can play me for a fool.
• (play a trick / joke on) behave in a deceptive or teasing way toward.

4 [trans.] perform on (a musical instrument): we heard someone playing a harmonica | [intrans.] a pianist who will play for us.

• possess the skill of performing upon (a musical instrument): he taught himself to play the violin.
• produce (notes) from a musical instrument; perform (a piece of music): they played a violin sonata.
• make (an audiotape, CD, radio, etc.) produce sounds.
• [intrans.] (of a musical instrument, audiotape, CD, radio, etc.) produce sounds: somewhere within, a harp was playing.
• [trans.] accompany (someone) with music as they are moving in a specified direction: the bagpipes played them out of the dining room.

5 [intrans.] move lightly and quickly, so as to appear and disappear; flicker: a smile played about her lips.

• (of a fountain or similar source of water) emit a stream of gently moving water.
6 [trans.] allow (a fish) to exhaust itself pulling against a line before reeling it in.

NOUN

1 activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, esp. by children: a child at play may use a stick as an airplane.

• behavior or speech that is not intended seriously: I flinched, but only in play.
• [as adj.] designed to be used in games of pretense; not real: play families are arranged in play houses.

2 the conducting of an athletic match or contest: rain interrupted the second day's play.

• the action or manner of engaging in a sport or game: he maintained the same rhythm of play throughout the game.
• the status of the ball in a game as being available to be played according to the rules: the ball was put in play.
• figurative the state of being active, operative, or effective: luck comes into play.
• a move or maneuver in a sport or game: the best play is to lead the 3 of clubs.• archaic gambling.
3 a dramatic work for the stage or to be broadcast: the actors put on a new play.

4 the space in or through which a mechanism can or does move: the steering rack was loose, and there was a little play.

• figurative scope or freedom to act or operate: our policy allows the market to have freer play.
• light and constantly changing movement: the artist exploits the play of light across the surface.

PHRASES

make a play formake (great) play of not playing with a full deckplay ball play both ends against the middleplay something by earplay it by earplay by the rulesplay one's cards close to one's chestplay one's cards rightplay ducks and drakesplay fairplay someone falseplay fast and looseplay the fieldplay for timeplay the gameplay Godplay havoc withplay hellplay hookeyplay into someone's handsplay it coolplay the marketa play on wordsplay it safeplay to the galleryplay truantplay with oneselfplay with fire

PHRASAL VERBS

play around play alongplay someone alongplay something downplay someone offplay offplay onplay something outplay something upplay up to

DERIVATIVES

playabilityplayableORIGIN Old English pleg(i)an [to exercise,] plega [brisk movement,] related to Middle Dutch pleien ‘leap for joy, dance.'

Sunday 20 December (3)

An email from Joanna McCormick, a follower of the blog:

Just caught up with your blog and found the thing about choice very interesting.

As a parent the choices are simple but confusing - to wash up or interact with your child through play.

There is also something about messiness as well and I've talked to Caroline about this, how one is constantly tidying up to try and keep on top of things and how this must feel to a child - that they are constantly being tidied away, maybe emotionally as well. I think an element of messiness is really important in play, I was playing catch on the kitchen floor with my two children earlier today, which turned into a game of fork tennis because the discarded cutlery from a meal earlier was still lying around on the floor.