Morgan Williams
Place a pile of art materials in the middle of a room, invite a bunch of 5-year-olds into the space and without any prompts you will quickly witness a hive of activity. Do the same thing with a group of adults and the space would quickly fill with questions, uncertainty, possibly fear, dread and occasionally anger. Some may tentatively explore a little, others might tell them to stop. How and why does this happen? What is it about our society that often makes the act of play or free exploration taboo? It is the same in most cultures. We create rules in our minds about behaviours. We build a narrative of fear around play. Even the 18-year-olds I teach at Uni have a level of trepidation around creative play. I asked them to express joy a few weeks ago and there were more questions than answers. Ask the same task of 5-year-olds and they will immediately start shouting answers, crawling around like a puppy or dancing like a sunflower!
I have spent much of my working life encouraging others to be free, me included. To be creative on any level we need to approach the world with awe and wonder, not fear and dread.
The creative world has a rich history of play which dates to ancient cultures. Playful forms of expression around ritualistic performances and storytelling were integral to communal life. During the Renaissance, artists began to explore the concept of play too. The biggest explosion of this attitude was the 20th century with movements like Surrealism and Dada – artists embraced absurdity as a core element central to their ideas. Today, art continually blurs the lines between play and serious discourse. Many major exhibitions include interactive installations and participatory practices to engage viewers in playful dialogues. Art as a space for exploration and imagination is now widely accepted with play as a core element. The Tate Modern embraced this concept mid-year with Oscar Murillo’s The flooded garden. Participants were invited to make their mark in a giant playful 12 metre collaborative piece in the main turbine hall. The idea isn’t new. Melbourne has had ArtPlay near FedSquare promoting similar concepts for over 20 years.
Closer to home, Radical Fields is a collective near Glenlyon exploring a similar ethos. Their tagline “Serious Play” says it all. Founding member Gav Barbey has play at the core of his artistic practice. His Ted Ex talk opens with a quote: “It took Picasso 4 years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to draw like a child”. This encapsulates Gav’s approach – he has a deep held belief that we are all creative and can to tap into our inner child in this way. He’s been busy spreading the play bug a lot this year with workshops in Malaysia and throughout NSW. Do you want the play too? If so, you’re in luck! We are super excited to have Gav offering his dynamic processes and techniques this November at Radius. “Dimensional You” is his latest workshop. It’s a day full of participatory play that helps us change how we see the world.
Gav guides us on a journey via his unique set of activities designed to unlock the innate creativity and play within us all. “I want us to get rid of the word art and discover a deeper expression of ourselves. There is fluidity between all the exercises; we explore and look at both our inner and external narratives. Understanding how we see the world via nature, mark making and somatic practice builds a unique rhythm. Together we begin to imagine our bodies and lives more fully… This expression is the real take home”.
If this sounds like your cuppa tea jump on the radius site for more info:
As usual we have lots of fun things coming up this month, from workshops and discussions to music and meals. Plus, the opening of the Swiss Italian Landscape prize on the 26th of October. If it’s art you crave and connection you desire join Radius: a creative space for all!
