So...
Play and Display is set to go with filming taking place on Tuesday the 12th of May. Any one interested is more than welcome to be at Supreme College on Jorrissen Street, just across from Senate House, Wits University at 12pm. Though we are not making the play experience a public act, as it takes place on the school's 'playground', anyone interested in taking part is welcome.
The first phase is playing with some of the kids of the grade 4 class at Supreme College. We will be playing a range of games including Eggy, Chicago and possibly even four square. The filming will take place from right within the games. The Supreme College playground is in fact the school premises' basement, which will then be translated from the site specific to the Substation, Wits University in early June. This second phase is an entirely public art work, based in a gallery setting featuring video work by Smokey and an instillation by Smilo.
The work seeks to explore the nature of play as it indicates the movements and changes of the society that serves as the platform for play. The ways that game and play have changed in less than a generation from our age (20-25) to the grade fours of Supreme College interest us. Children will always play but what and how they play, displays something about society.
Though not typical dialogue, play acts as a kind of dialogue with society, reflecting and communicating it's values, interests, the ways in which it accomodates it's children and it's attitude to education. Whithin play itself, rules, roles and child to child dialogue serve as a microcosm of the larger world, it's rules, roles, play and dis-play. The work itself, emerges out of over three months of extensive dialogue between the collaborators, a whole nother level of roles, rules, games, play and display.
