Dulwich Picture GalleRy X LFA

‘Reimagining Play’ Open Call from London Festival of Architecture and Dulwich Picture Galley

We partnered with our good friends and architects CRAB Studio to apply for the open call for a permanent ‘playable sculpture’ as part of the new sculpture garden at the gallery. Our concept was heavily focused on using a re-use material palette, free-play and co-design methodologies.

We embedded the theme of “Reimagining Play” from the beginning of our process by using London as a playground for existing materials to form the foundations and inspiration for our design. Working closely with our re-use network we secured steel and concrete pipes, terrazzo off-cuts, stone, railings, lamp posts and TFL rubber flooring.

As a shortlisted team we were invited to run a free workshop at the gallery during the October half term. This gave us the opportunity to use co-design and free-play methodologies to develop the design with the local community. Using child-friendly replicas of the materials (also all from within our re-use network) children and adults were left to intuitively play and respond to the materials in front of them.

Wrapping, twisting, winding, draping, tilting and nestling were key actions recorded from workshop moments and finished pieces at the end of play. Naturally lending themselves to be used in these ways, the materials came together to form assemblages and playful compositions.

These actions and assemblages became the starting point for the design of the sculpture. With multiple layers, our concept explores themes of play, discovery, exploration and collecting, whilst championing the potential, creativity and value of re-use. With the opportunity to be explored from all angles and approaches our playable sculpture sets the scene for the performance of play.

To continue the co-design process, we proposed a session for returning families who would have the opportunity to respond to the design of the sculpture and collaboratively build the “hats” that playfully perch on the tops of each vertical pipe.

The sculpture is designed to be explored organically, with each material labeled with information, for example,

Granite (igneous rock),
Precambrian age,
via London embankment wall built 1800's

This celebrates the raw materials and the journey that they have been on over time. For Studio TIP this engagement and discovery of materials is an important part of the work that we do, particularly with projects in the public realm, we hope that it inspires people to notice and feel curious about the materials around them.

Thank you to our collaborators on this project who provided materials:

KPH, Material Store (Resolve Collective), Renné materials, Tiflex Flooring, Toureen Group, The Crown Estate, The Reach, Westway Climbing, Neilcott Construction and Yodomo.