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Elmer Petersen Playground Sculptures, 1971 and 1979
(This is what was supposed to come out yesterday…late TBT!) In the 1970s, before the playground manufacturers became so dominant, it was quite common for municipalities to hire a local sculptor to...
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BLOOM Urban Play Structure, Alisa Andrasek & Jose Sanchez, 2012
‘Bloom‘ is an interactive urban play structure commissioned for the London Olympic and Paraolympic games in 2012, in their signature shocking pink. It is a social sculpture–”a playground formed by...
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Is Playground Basketball Dead?
From an in-depth article on the death of playground basketball, at ESPN: “The crowds that used to stand four deep are gone, and so are the players. Once players asked “Who’s got next?” Now the...
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The Playgrounds of Jim Miller-Melberg, 1950s – 1980s
“I am a sculptor. I have been making play sculptures since 1958. I do not design down to children. I make the best sculptures I can to help design an environment for imaginative play. Good...
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Jim Miller-Melberg Playground Turtle, Kuwait, c. 1992
For more of Jim Miller-Melberg’s playground sculptures, see also a flickr set of his turtles, which also includes some saddle slides and Castles. Miller-Melberg’s playground animals were installed all...
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Swing, Guimarães Portugal, Moradavaga, 2012
“Swing” was a temporary installation by Portugese art and architecture collective Moradavaga. Swing installations are nothing new, but I like how Moradavaga combines a techy conversion of mechanical...
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Swing it, Wakefield, UK, Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgan, 2014
A temporary swing installation with a completely different aesthetic is Swing it! by Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgan of supergrouplondon. The aggressively cheerful construction (which reminds me of...
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What Playgrounds can Learn from Swings as Art Installations, Part 1
I sometimes get mail criticizing the number of art installations I feature, as not being ‘true’ playgrounds. But these temporary play spaces–by artists, designers, makers, and urban interventionists...
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What Playgrounds can Learn from Swings as Art Installations, Part 2
4. Make swinging a rich experience. That’s really why so many people went to the Ann Hamilton Event of a Thread; not just to swing, but to swing in the middle of an art piece–illuminated in a patch...
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Girl on a Swing, Pitt St., New York City, Walter Rosenblum, 1938
Ahh, playground risk…look how high! And she’s standing up! For throwback Thursday, Walter Rosenblum’s Girl on a Swing Pitt St., New York 1938. [source] The post Girl on a Swing, Pitt St., New York...
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Vintage Skateboard Swing
Beautiful use for a well-loved board…a backyard skateboard swing captured by Latvian artist / photographer Margarita Germane, entitled Summer Stories. The post Vintage Skateboard Swing appeared...
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DIY New Skateboard Swing
Or see full instructions for a skateboard swing made from a new deck at HandmadeModern! The post DIY New Skateboard Swing appeared first on Playscapes. Related posts: The Red Swing Project DIY swing...
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House Eave Swing, Kimuramatsumoto Architects, Wakayama Japan
And don’t forget that most any wide and sturdy roof eave can accomodate a swing…this one is by Kimuramatsumoto Architects via designboom. The post House Eave Swing, Kimuramatsumoto Architects, Wakayama...
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Play Before Playgrounds, Kinderspel, Jacob Cats, 1618
Going waaay back for Throwback Thursday, to a pre-playground era and the emblem book of Jacob Cats, (1577-1660), a Dutch poet, lawyer, and statesman. Children are at play in a city square (yay! play...
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Flip-Face Interactive Sculpture
A round-up of some miscellaneous playful ideas today…this sculpture, on the grounds of the Memphis college of art, is an interactive version of those flip-face books we loved as children. I’d like to...
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Playground DIY: Concrete Gecko sculpture!
This is truly advanced DIY, but I’m glad to see this instructable for a concrete gecko! The design steps could be adapted to other forms, and the artist’s sharing of his concrete recipe (3 parts sand,...
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Red Wagon Playground, Kevin Spiering, Spokane Washington
Sometimes our grown-up design eyes look down at ‘themed’ playgrounds as too literal. But I think most kids look at them with delight. This giant red wagon is one element of Spokane Washington’s...
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The Playground Paintings of Jerome Myers, 1907, 1926, 1937
[Jumping right in to Throwback Thursday since I am in the middle of relocating my laboratory to a new place with room for scientific co-working! And art! So excited. Back to regular posting next week.]...
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Playground in Boston Tenement Alley, Lewis Hine, 1909
Compare Myers’ work to the tenement playground in a Boston alley, photographed by the great Lewis Hine, c. 1909. Via wikimedia commons, but owned by the George Eastman House. This is what the...
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Play Sculpture (and Paige) in Sheffield, September 16
The lab is up and functioning in our new and bigger space, thanks for being understanding. Some day your cell phone batteries will last twice as long because of nanotechnology and you can think back...
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