Playgrounds and Fear

La mama galleria exhibition

Photography by Laurie Rhodes
DEMO 2023 Art Festival by NEW INC
Fabrication by WorthlessStudios

Playgrounds and Fear is a multi-phase project that began in 2020. It explores the relationship between ubiquitous pieces of urban infrastructure and the unique memories they create. Through graphic and material experimentation we playfully reimagine the core elements of the playground—the slide, swing, seesaw, and superstructure—to provoke memories of play and risk taking. This work examines how this small scale public space can hold complex socioeconomic and psychological narratives about the body and play and offers a counterpoint to the contemporary playground’s focus on risk reduction, injury prevention, and safety.

History of play

We started this project by looking back at early playgrounds and we noticed that they were… a little weird and a little different. They were significantly taller and more rickety. Over time, play structures became more regulated, more standardized, and less dangerous.

Now we're left with these playgrounds that basically look the same. They are filled with petroleum based products that are made to look “safe” but they’re actually not. They are more harmful, to both people and the planet and can easily fall into disrepair

"Unacceptable play spaces" exist throughout the city, and especially in underserved communities. In fact over 50% of NYC parks playgrounds have at least one “hazardous” feature that needs to be repaired.

Reimagined play equipment

After we looked at all of these things, from patents to movies, we asked ourselves “how do designs of playground elements shape us”.

Research has shown that these six categories of risky outdoor play—like great heights, or high speed—directly affect positive behavior growth and impacts the successfulness of a playground. What we’re doing is taking these characteristics.. and using them to reimagine the Swing, the Seesaw, the Slide as well as other playground elements… But our goal is not to redesign the playground. Instead we want to create public art instruments for both kids AND adults that create and evoke memories of play.

The Maquettes

These maquettes of reimagined play structures are playful objects designed inspired by patent research, history of playgrounds as well as the 6 categories of risk-taking in the 4 Ss to evoke memories of play.

Like a rocking slider that connects height and movement.

Or a 3 person seesaw.

Or a swing that bounces.

Or maybe even a combination of a monkey bar and seesaw.

Our piece re-imagines the Psychogeography of the playground which is in conversation with other art practices showcased in this exhibit whose work uses “non-traditional approaches to archiving from and for underrepresented perspectives, and forefronts the voices, memories, and abilities of the disempowered.”