Contents What is play-o-logy?
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Research
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Interview with Richard Cottrell
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Interview with Rittaa Ikonnen
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Interview with Keita Takahashi
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Conversation with Stuart Lester
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Workshops
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Saturday drawing club
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Business and Funding
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Email to Patricia Van Den Akker
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Shell Livewire Pitch
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The Giant Digestive System
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Sketching the space
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Testing and Samples
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Inflatable
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Nick at Inflate
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Making the fabric panels
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Identity, Branding and design
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Play-o-logy online
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Source materials
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Thanks
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Charlene
Katie
Charlene is a London based illustrator
Katie’s work is focused on communicating
originally from Hong Kong. Most of her
ideas in fun, playful ways. From large-scale
work takes influence from cross-cultural
interactive pieces to smaller drawings
experiences, explored in a light-hearted and
and paintings, she experiments with
playful ways. She likes to work with a variety
mediums and materials, always with a clear
of methods, from drawing to textiles.
understanding of how the work will function once it is finished.
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What is play-o-logy? play-o-logy. [pley.o.lo.gy]
1. The learning of complex subjects through play
Our aim is to explore complex ideas through interaction and play. Using a wide range of materials we create fun, experimental explanations that encourage learning in creative environments. We want to challenge educational teaching methods with our fun, playful approach. The focus will be on learning through play, and will give children a chance to visualise a complex scientific process in a way they can understand. This book is a sort of diary of play-o-logy’s first year. It shows our initial research into play and education and how they are linked through creativity. We also reveal the working process behind our launch project; The Digestive System play space.
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curiosity gathering talking testing analysing
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Research The research process has been a stimulating journey. Play-o-logy is essentially a tool to explore an infinite amount of ideas, theories, and problems, and we think our research reflects this a little bit. We have tried as hard as we can to consider all aspects of the project; from how the identity and branding should look, to the thoery behind play. Research has been more about talking to people than anything else; we didnt want our information to come solely from books or the internet so if there was someone out there who could do the job better than us, we would just ask. Doctors, Teachers, Play specialists, Bouncy castle maufacturers, Architechts, Artists, Games designers, Seemstresses, Pattern cutters, Stage designers, Welders, Graphic designers, Web designers, Psychologists, Lecturers... the list of people who have given us thier expertise is extensive. Over the following pages you will see just some of the conversations we have had with these people along with a selection of our supporting research including workshops and medical illustrations.
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Interview with Richard Cottrell, Cottrell & Vermulen Architects
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How do you feel about the view that if,
It’s a level of experience, as I’ve been designing
because of technology children don’t want to
playgrounds for twenty years, therefore there’s
play as much?
a level of knowing. Not of knowing what they need but knowing the issues. We always try to
I’m not sure about that…
consult with the people who are going to use the playground, talk to them and the children
You strongly disagree?
about activities and ideas and aspirations, so its lead by their idea. And then it’s trying to
Well I suppose I’d agree and disagree, because
make things that are… I think the worst thing
obviously that sort of “gaming” on a screen,
for anybody to do as an adult is to try to be a
as you get older, is most probably more and
child… that is the point of failure, because you
more what happens, but, certainly from direct
can remember being a child but your memory
experience of littler children, that’s not what
isn’t actually being a child - you don’t want
happens.They might be easily led into only
to put yourself in his or her shoes.You want for
doing computer things but as soon as you
them to be as childlike as they can be.You’re
change that focus they wont….You know its
making potential things for them to do rather
just ‘easy play’… and easy parenting - stick
than saying ‘ok lets do that’. Children, they will
them in front of the TV because that will keep
happily make something out of cushions and
them addicted, whereas a playground, they will
a blanket, so they need that potential in a
enjoy it more, and have more fun doing other
playground.
things. What sort of research you do when your
So it’s like providing the materials?
thinking about designing spaces for children, specifically playgrounds? How does the
Yeah so their imagination can discover and
process work? It’s probably a long process?
make things of a place, rather than… you know.
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I’m looking at that an idea that
an adult agenda to play,
playgrounds which provide those kind of materials, or work around the idea of not
Its interesting to get a completely opposite
necessarily giving the children everything
view, most of the reading I’ve been doing is
‘ready made’, do you think there are a lot of
really one sided in that it is against those
playgrounds that don’t necessarily do this?
modular metal climbing frames and also in disarray about the way that children don’t
Well one of the first playgrounds we did was
want to go out and play any more. There
for a school in South End where we extended
are a couple of books which basically say
some classrooms around a courtyard to
that childhood is disappearing completely,
make a playground. It was very low budget,
which is a really strong point to be putting
all that we could afford to start with was
across!
plain tarmac, so it was like a typical school playground that became dominated by
Well it’s the problem of academia really, its
football – boy’s games. About 6 months after
that they are setting themselves a thesis, and
it was in use we got a little bit of money and
they want to prove their thesis so they pick
were able to paint the wall that was in the
the arguments that will say ‘this is obviously
playground yellow and to paint some spots
true’, rather than…. Its my frustration with all
on the floor. Immediately after we did that the
academia, here’s common sense involved,
activity of play changed – the wall became
that to prove these things… you don’t need to
a real attraction to just stand around and be
prove them, you just need to go to a park and
on, because it was colour and the games
look and see what’s happening!
started to revolve around the dots on the floor, rather than only being a place to run
I went to a few parks yesterday, they didn’t
through. That in a way is the bleakest type of
have many children in it at all, they were
playground, but it shows how just very small
sort of deserted…
creative interventions can allow the play to be very, very different.
Well the little park next to our studio here, we have two little parks here. At the end of the
How do you feel about the more
school day in the summer (and its not a really
conventional playgrounds that we see
lovely little park), it’s full. That’s where you go
around London, like a simple metal modular
after school, the kids go in there and play. It’s
slide, or roundabout?
a place the kids and the parents to meet and they stay because its light evenings and its
In a way… I think they’re good… yes I think
warm and they play in it. And there’s even a
they’re fine… on the whole most children
nastier little playground in the estate there
still want to go to them, so having a place
that’s the same. It’s a place to meet, and to
that you climb up and something you can
play, it’s safe and enclosed, and it’s not the
discover is good, its fun. Having a slide to go
one bedroom flat.
down – its fun. Some of those spaces can be much better than others, but even the ones
Do you think the safety thing is quite an
that you might not think are that good are
important aspect of playgrounds?
still enjoyed by the children. There’s a danger to be too intellectual… there is a danger of
Yeah I think obviously you want for younger
being adult about it and trying to rationalise
children when they’re in your care for them to
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be safe.They can have dangerous toys, but
In the city, they love the fountains, and that
you don’t want them running away. So it’s the
playground they did at the Southbank with
enclosure and how you deal with that so that
the walls of water that came up and down
you can be confident that you can just let
to make rooms that you could run through…
them go and it’s hard for them to get away.
that’s sort of ideal, those sort of places that
A few of the people I have been looking at
aren’t trying to make you play too obviously,
have tried to get rid of the idea of it being
they are just playful spaces. I think it’s just
an enclosed space or boundary?
anything really… those kind of places will always be better than any computer game.
Well I think that’s sort of right and wrong, with younger children it’s very important because
Do you think its bad that we have
you have to be aware of things, but obviously
intellectualised the whole idea of play?
as they get older that boundary becomes
There are so many studies about play, and
less necessary.
how to make the right space or the right
Different ages have
different needs.
environment for play?
Are there any specific elements of a
Yeah, I think so, my feeling is that its common
playground that would be successful or
sense really: you need to play, you learn by
unsuccessful?
playing and on the whole children naturally will play in any environment.
I can more easily point to playgrounds
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that are more successful. For example the
But then I suppose in terms of your job…
Princess Diana Playground seems to be a
how do you justify it?
really successful environment for play, it does all the things: It has safety, it has challenge
As I say, I think our job is to make the ground
and all ages can use it. Those sorts of
to enable that to happen. We’ve just done
playgrounds are really, really good. But there’s
this thing for the Olympic Park, which is a
also just the idea of going to the beach… just
competition, maybe we’ll win it, maybe we
a breakwater, and the water itself, and the
wont, but that’s all about a play park. At one
sand, is most probably all you might need
end there’s a building that’s for younger
in a playground. That certainly would be my
kids to play in and it is more protected. Then
place to go, but that’s the beach, you don’t
we have an open, facsimile of the Olympic
think ‘I’m going to the playground’ when you
stadium, which is a big climbing frame. Then
go there. Playgrounds can be subtler.
we have a valley that is water and beach.
As a parent what sorts of places do your
Then either side of the valley we have grown
children prefer?
willow structures and towers that you can walk around and through. So you know I
The perfect playground for my boys would
don’t think we are saying… I mean there are
be a football field, then around the football
some formal play elements, but the point of it
field would be lots of bushes with routes you
is that you find how to play, we are not telling
can go through, places to play war. Then
you.
there would be equipment, and things to climb, and on the other side of that some
When we did our first primary school, we did
breakwaters, a beach and some water!
a toilet, and we designed the basins, one for the 4 year old, one for the 8 year old and
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one for the 10 year old, thinking that the little ones will be able to wash their hands easily, the middle ones will be able to wash their hands easily and the tallest ones will be able to wash their hands easily. Everybody went to the biggest basin. We were trying to ‘be’ a 4 year old, an 8 year old and a 10 year old, and failing dismally because they all wanted to be the big boy or girl. They didn’t, any of them, ever want to be perceived as the ‘little one’. If you start to say ‘you will do this here’, most likely they wont. The good thing about play and playgrounds is that in education, they are being told what to do in their learning and the play element of it should be the point where they are not ‘told’ anymore, you are not prescribing something. On the whole you’re not really ‘designing’ spaces for children specifically at all, it’s subtle.
Martin Azua
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Tape Melbourne by Numen
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Illustrated anatomy from innerbody.com
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Interview with Riitta Ikonen, Artist What is your practice?
and recreation. rather than a serious or practical purpose.Have you heard the
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I am an artist originally from the deep
saying: All work and no play makes Jack a
eastern forests of Finland. A fresh New
dull boy? Enough said.
Yorker and a keen collaborator I work mainly with photographers and costumes for
How would you relate play and creativity?
communicative purposes. Playing - improvising- following that good gut What is your definition of Play?
feeling, just because. Not being in a rush to tick a box or produce. It’s hard to be very
On good days work and play are the same
creative in a huge rush, (though deadlines
thing. It would be great if those two words
are very motivating). Taking the friendly risk
were reversible. ‘hobbies would instantly
for a walk without a sight of the shadow of
become obsolete. I was always a bit puzzled
the menacing REAL risk.
by what to put in that ‘hobbies’ column (in all kinds of applications). A certain percentage
Would problem solving be playing?
of the work I do could I guess be called
Sometimes it is just about finding out for
play. Playwork. Filling in a tax return just a
yourself. The colour theory is there for all to
minute ago was pretty far from my idea of
know it is there, but isn’t it great to play and
play. For a nice work/play ratio it’s probably
find out yourself how it all works.(Bridget Riley
good I didn’t look for a playful career in
spoke very nicely about that at Frieze 2011)
accounting... But I bet someone really likes
I guess not being so aware of what is being
playing around with taxes! It’s personal. I
done let’s the unknown creep in, and that
guess I prefer more tangible, handleable play.
is what makes it (my workplay) interesting.
I had never looked up the definition of ‘Play’
Enjoying what you are doing right that
before..Engaging in activity for enjoyment
moment instead of focusing on what needs
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to come out of that blob. Not looking into
wrap my practice in as much ‘enjoyment
the long telescope... like mentally going ‘out’,
and recreation’ as possible, rather than
just out, not to buy milk, or to see Mandy, or
the’serious and practical’. In most projects I
to run the hundred meters, but just out. Like
work with other people, it’s easier and more
a moody teenager, maybe even slamming
fun to play together. Making fun work is often
the door on the way out, just because. Doing
deadserious. Deadserious play. Even the most
things ‘just because’ is good for you, dare I
fun play projects have a percentage of the
say healthy even.
workdeath to them, but one tries to keep that to a manageable percentage of the overall
Daydreaming. is that playing?
mountain (or hire people to whom that
As Max Comfort once famously said as
dreaded task is play.)
he was prepping us RCA lot for the final show:‘Daydreaming is a time management
Could you specifically outline one piece of
tool- whats the hurry? Things often get a bit
your most ‘playful’ work and explain what
stuffy when you box them... even talking
you expect from the audience/viewers in
about play now makes me go off play
terms of reactions and experiences?
slightly... Most playful....some of the workshops I do What do you do in your practice that you
where other people can come play, are
feel is most relevant to play?
playful. Setting up play for others is very very very hard though, and not one of my
Am I a playful artist? Maybe. The work looks
favourite things.. The Eyes as Big as Plates
entertaining to some. Would that make
Series has been pretty playful. Seniors know
me playful? It has some unpredictable
how to play properly, there is no holding back
branches I guess. I do purposefully try to
with them. Good play is honest play.
Eyes as big as plates exhibition by Riitta Ikonen
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Interview with Keita Takahashi. The creator of the game Kartamari 14
What is your practice?
you expect from the audience/ viewers in terms of reactions and experiences?
I think that this world has too much stress. It needs more smiles, laughs and imagination.
1998 Chabudain (Japanese low table)
So I create some. This is a low table which can transform into What is your definition of what Play is?
robot. However it can’t be transformed by just one person., it needs two people. So
It’s play if you say its play”.
this low table is a communication tool if you invite new friends to your room.
How would you relate play and creativity? Why?
I like the element of uselessness or inefficiency in it.
I can’t explain well, but I guess play and creativity are connected by imagination. Do you consider yourself as a playful artist? What do you do in your practice that you feel is most relevant to play? No, I guess I’m not an artist. I’m just a man who likes something new. Could you specifically outline one piece of your most ‘playful’ work and explain what
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Robot Table by Keita Takahashi
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Gary Card, Sho design for LC-NN.
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Bjork 'Skin Tissue' Music video
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Drawings by Katie
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Drawings by Charlene
Ben Cuevas knitted anatomy
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Hand drawn medical illustrations
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Drawings by Katie
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Drawing by Charlene
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Conversation with Stuart Lester (Lecuturer & Playworker) Tell me a little bit about what you do?
Do you think that play should just simply be play?
I am not comfortable with the phase ‘play industry’, because that implies is
Play can’t be anything else but the very
a commercial thing and that is not my
nature of what is it is. It is a formal behaviour
background, but it has become quite
that evolves from millions and millions years
common to talk about the play industry.
ago. Because of this one would imagine play serves some evolutionary purpose; if
I am currently a senior lecturer at the
it didn’t we wouldn’t play - It w ould have
University of Gloustershire on their play
been wiped out, I mean at some point in our
and play work degree and postgraduate
evolution we had tails and we walked on all
programmes and I am also a freelance
fours. As we adapted to the environment we
researcher and consultancy trainer.
changed, but we still play. Then certainly play has some fundamental purpose as play not
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I have a background working on adventure
as anything else? But we are very good at
playground in Manchester and got in to
wanting to make it to do something else. The
training and I’ve stayed with it ever since. I
minute you do that, you stop it from being
spent all my life with play but I haven’t learnt
play.
anything. The problem is kids do want to be outside, How does play inform and relate to
but their parents wont let them, so virtual play
creativity in Children and Adults?
is the next best thing for them.
Play and creativity I think are synonymous
What is the function of play? Do you believe
because playing is a creative process full
that play is functional or not?
stop. Play is rarely used as a word on its own, its always used for something else. So Play
I think there is a value to play but it is not the
and creativity, play and learning, play and
one that most adults attribute to playing. If
development, play and exercise; this has
you look at traditional studies and the way
nothing to do with childrens play, it is more
the disciplines have looked at children’s
about adults and the changing nature of
play, they take quite a lot in animal studies.
childhood. There is more and more pressure
Traditionally they will look at animal play
on Children to achieve and part of the way of
and they will then do their observation and
adults making sure children achieve is to use
then infer from that, that animals play to
any instrument as possible to help children
learn skills, some young animals will rough
learn. Play becomes an instrument as a tool
and tumble play and by doing that they are
which adult believe helps children learn.
learning skills to how to avoid becoming pray, and how to pray on other animals.
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Sociologists traditionally have said play is
they have forgotten. Defining it imposes an
a way about learning norms, and rules and
adult view on children and their play, which it
customs so children learn how to share and
might be dangerous because you will never
how to co-operate and how to follow moral
know what children are doing and what they
codes. Psychologists will say play is about
are getting from play but let’s just be happy
learning cooperative skills; problem solving.
with that.
‘Play for a Change’ How do you feel about
So the child can be in a playground, take
this statement?
the coat off, put it round thier neck, flap their arms and they are flying. Gravity said no,
We have been asked to look at the most
biologically said ‘I am flying’, to all intense
recent research on children’s play globally,
and purposes is flying in that particular
we probably looked at about 800 pieces
moment, but knows that they are not flying.
of research and we found nothing to
So it is this paradox of real and unreal. There
support play and learning, play and
is a lucky phase that we pinched which
schools. Traditionally play is not been about
called being in Control and being out of
something taught for benefit, the benefit of
control.
play happens outside of play. You learn to be able to be use skills later in life, or learn
There is a guy called stuart brown who talks
how to cross the road or learn how to make
alot about how play could be functional,
friends.
what is your response to him?
What is it about play? Why is it there? Can it
Sutton-Smith said Play is no guarantee
be used to solve problems within society?
of anything. Probably the one thing that playing does is first of all gives you a great
What happened over the last 10 years
satisfaction of being alive, and is that not
particularly across the disciplines is that
worth it for its own sake? And it probably
people now start to focus on what the
makes you a better player because the
immediate benefits of play are. What is
people who play want to play more and if
happening to anybody (children and adults)
you play more you become better at playing.
while they are playing, not afterwards but
I could spot kids that probably didnt have
while they are playing? Play has benefit for
a very playful childhood by the way they
the time of playing, which only happens
are with their friends and how they use
because it is play. So we start to think about
power to dominate, with no give and take.
the things which distinguish play from other
Understanding the ability to tune emotions
forms of behaviour.
and empathy, leads us into this whole being in control or being out of control. Play through
What do you think the benefits of play are?
its ability to create is the generation of uncertainty, you are creating uncertainty. So
When we came to looking at play, we didn’t
when kids spin around, making themselves
define play. I think play is beyond definition.
dizzy, that is a classic example of playing
I think it is so illusive and because we are
with uncertainty, they are in control so they
adults we need to be conscious anyway.
don’t spin themselves to unconsciousness,
Sutton Smith said that when it comes to
they stop to regain balance and they carry
defining play in adults we fall into silliness,
on. This ability to put yourself in situations
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of moderate stress is hugely beneficial. The two features of that stress is firstly, that your are in control of it. Now that might be collective control it’s not personal control and it’s desirable, you actually want to be in this situation. Play provides the conditions to control the stress. Which will results in their tolerance of stress being far greater than those who didn’t play alot. Stress is just another word for uncertainty. The thing that scares you is that uncertainty is happening externally rather than internally. When children read horror stories, some children will be scared because they see it as external. Scientifically that would suggest that a neuron chemical reaction is happening in taking yourself to that position and the main neuron chemical in that equation is Cortisone. What cortisone does is it focuses you, makes your body adjust to stress and
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not get overwhelmed by it. Short burst of cortisone are highly beneficial. Long burst however are damaging, so when kids are under profound stress which is prolonged it will have a big impact. When that happens when kids play it prepares the ground for real stress, so when they are in stressful situations they already have something in place biologically to be able to cope with it. Kids who are always being told “don’t do that” almost have an aversion to uncertainty.
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1980’s French biology books
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Emily Barletta Textiles Ernesto Neto installations
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Scans from ‘Spacecraft: Fleeting Architecture and hideouts’
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Workshops Because our spaces are designed to communicate scientific ideas we hope to use them to facilitate workshops for children. Play would be the focus, with the learning aspect disguised as much as possible by our creative approach to the subjects. Our digestive system play space is designed to be dynamic; it true function would be most evident when put to use as part of a workshop.
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The food cube workshop at Barton primary school in Cambridge. To get some more ‘hands on’ research we designed an interactive activity to teach participants about the way our bodies digest and separate food into different groups. Testing it in Barton primary school in Cambridge was a success with children reacting brilliantly. Before we started we had a ‘question time’ and found out what sort of things the class already knew about the digestive system. They were very knowledgeable about the different food groups but didn’t know that much about how the process of digestion actually worked, which is something we have tried to address as a result of the workshop.
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In our activity they had to digest 20 ‘food cubes’ in two teams with the winning team having all their cubes turned to waste first. (The food cubes are green on one side and brown when turned inside out...) Each student had a pair of teeth gloves to ‘break down the three food groups within the cubes with some ‘enzyme scissors’. The activity went well with the kids going crazy trying to beat one another to separate the sausage, cheese and sweets into different categories. To get some more ‘hands on’ research we designed an interactive activity to teach participants about the way our bodies digest and separate food into different groups. Testing it in Barton primary school in Cambridge was a success with children reacting brilliantly. Before we started we had a ‘question time’ and found out what sort of things the class already knew about the digestive system. They were very knowledgeable about the different food groups but didn’t know that much about how the process of digestion actually worked (something for us to bear in mind in future.) In our activity they had to digest 20 ‘food cubes’ in two teams with the winning team having all their cubes turned to waste first. (The food cube are green on one side and brown when turned inside out...) Each student had a pair of teeth gloves to ‘break down the three food groups within the cubes with some ‘enzyme scissors’. The activity went well with the kids going crazy trying to beat one another to separate the sausage, cheese and sweets into different categories.
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Afterwards we used some time to tell them a bit more about our plans for the giant digestive system playground and get some ideas from them. They were really enthusiastic about imagining up intestine water shoots and electronic rectum fairground rides. We told them we would try our hardest to realise some of these ambitions but we weren’t sure if we would manage to build a giant digestive system water slide because of the health and safety concerns! They were enthusiastic about the project as a whole and had lots of ideas about how we could build the structure. The teacher, Mrs Descrivan was also very positive about our visit and we are planning a second trip back to work with some of the younger classes in the school. If this second visit goes well we plan to approach the school about running a day in the playground area where we can enlist the children’s help to build a giant digestive system with us.
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Saturday Drawing Club As part of our research we have been working for the Sorrell Foundation helping run drawing classes. This has given us some great experience working with young people.
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Business and Funding Because we want to sustain the project after graduating from University, we have been seeking funding from a number of organisations. This has involved seeking professional advice, making business plans and finance charts, which has forced us to analyse the project from the point of view of someone making an investment. Whilst not a skill set that either of us naturally possessed, we feel we have learnt a great deal from these applications, especially in succintly describing the intentions and context of play-o-logy. We created a business plan and financial outline for play-o-logy. It has really helped us to consider our costs and how we hope to utilise the things we are making in the future.
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Toothy Mits made for our funding pitch's
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Business Objectives 0–3 months • Degree show, which will involve us launching play-o-logy through the exhibition of our first installation. • Make a full contacts list. • Create a successful business plan with business advisor. • Gain more exposure through running at least 3 workshops in schools in and out of London. • Get website up and running with correct content. • Marketing and Advertising.
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3–6 months • To continue workshop delivery • Secure funding to build complete version of The Digestive System installation. • Have our installation set up in an event in London. • To begin to tour with the installation and charge for our services.
6 months – 1 year • Develop future products and services alongside running the Digestive System project. • Look into taking play-o-logy outside of the UK, following up possible links in Hong Kong
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Patricia Van Den Akker The Design Trust Hi, 44
I am currently a student at Camberwell College of Art in my final year of an Illustration degree. For my final major project myself and a course friend are collaborating on a project called play-o-logy. The project explores ways to engage children using art installations and creative play objects to learn complex subjects. We hope to set up as a company and our first piece is an exploration into the digestive system. We are aiming to build an interactive space the audience can enter and play with whilst learning about how the inside of our body works. We hope that once we graduate we will be able to take this installation out of the ‘degree show’ environment and have it as a ‘pop up’ workshop space that we can install in various public spaces, galleries and potentially school play grounds. We are a bit lost when it comes down the business side of this and in order to really get the project off the ground we need to achieve some funding and therefore need a viable financial plan and a business plan. Is there any advice you could give us on how to go about starting something like this - especially in terms of moving from it from a student project to a product in the real world? Thanks, Katie. Dear Katie
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Thanks for your email, sounds like a great project! The first questions for me would be:
• Is this is project, non-profit or a business? • How would you pay for it? How much money would you need? • Who would your client/partner be (who would pay for initial setting up of your project)? • What role do you see yourself play: as an organisation providing children’s activities or as a design company offering this to others? For example do you want to work with schools, museums or other organisations that already do this? This will make it far more likely that the project gets off the ground. You need to create a short business plan covering these questions plus a budget. I would strongly suggest that you start small but aim to get something build and that it gets off the ground, as it will build your credibility and experience in this area. Doing the budget and business plan, and talking to potential partners will enable you to see if it is viable. You could then identify potential funders or organisations who already work in this field - but your chances of getting funding will increase if you already would have a partner that has worked in this area. If you are interested in running it as a social enterprise you might like to look into Unltd funding. I am currently writing a ‘Startup Guide to set up your own crafts business’ that might help you through these stages too. I hope it will be published by early May. I will also start running group coaching courses over 12 weeks to set up your own business later this year, which might be of help. Good luck.
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Shell LiveWIRE Pitch We have been shortlisted for to win some money for our Shell Livewire pitch. We had to make a one minute "elevator" pitch which would describe play-o-logy in a quick, relatable way. As we wanted to make this video better than the first one we did for the Seed Fund we spent much longer writing a proper script and learning it. Our 'on camera' personalities are a bit wobbly but hopefully this video was much clearer.
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Promoting ourselves online using twitter and facebook to get votes for our pitch
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Screen Shots from our Shell Live Wire elevator Pitch
The Giant Diges System
tive m...
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processes
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sketches
testing
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Designing a Giant Digestive System Making the giant digestive system involved a number of different processes. Designing the overall look of the piece was the initial task. Sketches and paintings provided a general sense of what we wanted. We then tested out ways to translate these designs into objects that could be interacted with, by making fabric samples. The fabric elements of the space are where the real consideration of the science of digestion shows. Our six digestive system panels are each carefully researched using microscopic imagery, endoscopys and scientific theory. They aim to show how the specific organs of the digestive system would look and feel if we could really go inside our own bodies. We wanted each panel to have an interactive element, so that the processes couldn't be fully understood unless the audience plays and discovers things for themselves. 51
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Sketching the space
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six stages of digestion = six fabric panels in our inflatable
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The Mouth
The Oesophagus
The Stomach
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The Small Intestine
The Large Intestine
The Rectum
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Testing and samples
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Stomach lining samples Intestinal villus cushion
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Weaving
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Wooden sweets from our 'food cube workshop
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Structure The most important decision was to make the core structure of the play space inflatable so that it could be installed quickly into spaces and packed up and transported to new venues easily. This ‘transportable’ aspect was set out in the initial research phase and had to be something we put at the forefront of our designs, however problematic it turned out to be. Restrictions caused by budget were set early in talks with manufacturers of inflatable art and childrens play space. We contacted over 8 bouncy castle companys in the UK and it soon became clear that we would have to either compromise on the infaltable aspect of our design, or look to manufacture it outside of the UK. At this point we came up with some alternative design ideas. We looked into having a metal structure made but kept coming back to the problem of how to transport and store something of such scale (and weight). The inflatable dream just wouldn't shift. On the off chance that we would be able to manufacture a custom inflatable outside of the UK within the time left, we contacted some Chinese inflatable companies. We struck gold with a company in the same town as Charlene's Uncle - he would be able to check over the inflatable before it was posted to us, just in time for the degree show.
Testing inflatable Villus
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Nick at INFLATE Hi Nick,
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We are two interactive Illustrators currently in our final year at Camberwell College of Arts doing an Illustration degree. For our final major project we have created a playgroup called play-o-logy which explores how play can be used to teach scientific processes to children. We have been focusing on the Human Digestive System and are designing a large-scale interactive play space. Children (and adults!) can crawl in through the mouth and can learn about how the inside of our body works by essentially being ‘digested’ by the space. The installation will be transportable and can be packed away with the idea that it could be exhibited in various different venues including public parks, galleries and schoolyards. Our plans for the space are ambitious. We want to use an inflatable outer shell but our illustration background means we are more focused on designing and need some help with the technicalities of physically building and making this space work. We hope to get some funding for the project, although we need to have a definite plan of materials, costs and viability of the design and manufacture process. We know you are busy – you have so many exciting projects on your website but we really think you might be able to give us some advice on how to go about making the structure. If you have any free time to meet we are based in London and would love to come out to Kent and visit you. If a
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face-to-face meeting were not possible any advice you can give via email would be appreciated too. We have attached some sketches of our vision of the structure, and we also have a ‘work in progress’ blog, which has some of our work and inspiration if you are interested. It would be really great to hear from you, Charlene and Katie
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Hi Charlene and Katie, Wow, Looks like quite a project. You are welcome to come to Kent and see some of the structures we have and get an idea of what could be involved. Just as a warning something like this will have high level of health and safety if you want to use it for real. And think over £7500 to develop and make. I may have some objects you could use as a basis to build upon though. Nick.
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Miles at Prolyte Structures Hi Miles, I was wondering if you had a minute to help me with a slightly technical question. We have managed to get a decent price to get our structure made using inflatable in China. Not sure if you have any experience of working with these types of materials but as you know about space and making things I thought it would be good to get some advice. It is a Dome shape (I have attached a model of this which isn't to scale and one other drawing of what we want it to look like from inside with our fabric panels - If you have a look at our blog and scroll down there are some more illustrations of the various fabric elements which we will be adding once we have the inflatable here in London). We want it to be 3m wide at the base and have got a price for this, which we can afford. The problem is that the manufacturer has told us that with a 3m diameter at the base the structure will only be 1.5 m tall, and we don’t think this will leave enough room inside for children (and the adults who will be attending the degree show) to play - We want people to be able to climb inside the dome and interact with the textured panels we will be creating to fill the holes. Both of us are a bit clueless with maths and were wondering if there would be anyway of designing it so that the height wouldn't be relative to the width....? Sorry to bombard you with a load of info, it would be great to just get some advice from someone who knows about installation and the technicalities of creating spaces! Hope your well. Katie.
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Hi Katie Sounds like you need a parabola, I'll check out the feasibility. I'll be happy to help but I'm at an exhibition in Leeds and not back in the office until Thursday, hope that's okay ? Let me know if you intend to use the structure inside or out. Lot more issues regarding ballast requirements if outside. Cheers Miles Marsden
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A computer model of the inflatable
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The structure after manufacture in China
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周先生,
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你好！我姓萬，正就讀在英國倫敦藝術大學，插畫系的第三年。 我最後的主要項目是要製作一個吹氣消化系統設備。 這個吹氣設備的目的主要是幫助5﹣10歲的小朋友學習關於人類的消化系統。 在附圖中你可以找到我的設計模型。 這是我第一次接觸吹氣這種物料，請見諒我對有些技術上的地方不太了解。 我是想在模型上的支柱之間掛上以尼龍搭扣作乘托的質地紡織物 （看圖片A和圖片B）。每塊不同的紡織物代表著不同地消化系統氣管， 而圖片C 裏的會是小腸裏的絨毛。小朋友會從口中進入吹氣設備， 在吹氣設備裹一邊玩耍一邊學習然後從直腸部份離開設備。 這個設備會闊兩米尺度，而高度會視付闊度而調整。 我和另外一位同學從上年10月頭便開始了這個計畫， 在今年的6月前我們不但要完成這個項目, 更要將這個設備展覽在兩個不同的年終展覽中。 這個項目對我們非常重要， 我很希望可以得到周先生你的幫助來完成這個計畫。 我希望你可以告知我這個項目的可能性有多大， 如果你有興趣的話費用大概會是多少呢？這是我和我同學KATIE 的部落格， http://play-o-logy.blogspot.co.uk/ 如果你對這個項目有興趣的話請看一看。 祝商旗 萬小姐
看到圖片 您是要做第一張的外形还是？ 請告訴我尺寸需要多少？
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The inflatable finally arrived a week before our deadline!
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Making the fabric panels The challenge of taking the 2 dimensional designs and translating them into 3D fabric objects was not easy. We enlisted the help of an experienced seamstress and pattern cutter who provided us with guidence on the bits we couldn't get our heads around. Accuracy was hugely imporant at this stage as there was only enough fabric for the six panels. We never appreciated quite how mathematic pattern cutting was. The rectum proved the most difficult of panels (naturally). We sweated for hours over how to make the elasticated exit work so that no seams would be visible from the inside or outside of the inflatable; it was quite literally a pain in the backside. We were working with the measurments provided to us all the way from China, so as a caution we added extra when cutting the dimensions of each panel to leave room for error. The moment of truth didnt really come until the inflatable arrived. 90
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Working out the pattern for the rectum was a challenge.
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Identity, branding and design Creating a sense of identity for play-o-logy has been something we have enjoyed. It has enabled us to explore graphic design, typography and web design. Our aim for the logo was to create a bold, fun and instantly recognisable mark which hinted at the scientific backbone of play-o-logy. We played around with many symbols and iterations of the logo before settling on the one you see today. The connected 'o' in the middle hints at the formation of molecules whilst also serving as a bridge between play and science (logy). The bold text and colours we use were inspired by 80's BBC science educational programs and retro 60s childrens books (see below), which use similar punchy primary colours and simple, clean typography. A strong image has proved especially important for the number of pitches and applications we have made for funding.
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Screen printing
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Our ‘what do you know about work book.
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Our business cards. You put a sticker to show if it was Charlene or Katie who gave it to you!
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Interactive worksheets we made for the show
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playâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;oâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;logy
Thanks We would like to thank:
Weilai Inflatable toy products Co.Ltd Grumpy (Greater Manchester Play Resources Centre) Donna Wilson Carol Greenwood Everyone who gave interviews and emailed us back!
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