Participatory Playground
2021
Solo exhibition, interactive sculptural installation and participatory performance in public space
Tenthaus, Oslo, Norway
Participatory Playground is an interactive installation bringing together modular sculptures and soft, wearable structures designed for touch, movement and play. Developed through an interest in playgrounds, free play and participatory performance, the work invites visitors to explore the sculptural elements without prescribed instructions or fixed outcomes.
The abstract forms can be carried, worn, entered, combined and rearranged. Visitors create their own compositions and activities, individually or together, continuously transforming the installation through their actions. The open-ended nature of the sculptures encourages experimentation while raising questions about the habits and expectations that shape participation within an exhibition space.
At the end of the exhibition, the sculptures were transported from Tenthaus to the artist's studio through Handle with Care, a participatory performance inspired by the Norwegian tradition of dugnad, or collective voluntary work. A group of participants carried the objects through the streets of Oslo, turning the practical task of moving an exhibition into a collective action in public space.
Photography: Øystein Thorvaldsen, Jacky Jaan-Yuan Kuo
Supported by: Arts Council Norway (Kulturrådet), Project Support for Emerging Artists
Sculptural development supported by: Arts Council Norway (Kulturrådet), Performing Arts Pre-Project Grant, 2020