“Playable sculpture” sits at the intersection of several classifications. The technical and functional aspects of ‘playable sculpture’ position it as a hybrid typology within public art and playspace taxonomies.
This form of installation is particularly interesting because it challenges traditional taxonomies by combining:
The aesthetic and cultural significance of public art
The recreational and developmental purposes of play spaces
The social gathering aspects of public space
The interactive qualities of recreational infrastructure
‘Playable Sculpture’ has emerged as a distinct category within contemporary sculptural practice that challenges traditional viewer-artwork relationships through its emphasis on physical engagement and participation. This practice represents a significant shift from ‘do not touch’ to ‘please interact,’ positioning sculpture as a site of embodied experience and social connection. Unlike traditional interactive art, playable sculpture specifically embraces play as both a conceptual framework and a mode of engagement, creating works that function simultaneously as serious artistic propositions and accessible sites of joy and discovery.
In the context of public space, taxonomies can be understood in several valuable ways:
Space Classification: Public spaces can be categorised based on their physical characteristics, size, function, and accessibility. For example, Primary categories might include parks, plazas, streets, waterfronts, and civic spaces. These can then be further subdivided – parks might be classified into neighborhood parks, pocket parks, regional parks, and linear parks.
Usage Patterns: Spaces can be classified based on how people use them, such as gathering spaces, transit spaces, recreational spaces, or mixed-use spaces.
Spatial Elements: The components within public spaces can be taxonomically organised, including furniture (benches, lighting, waste bins), natural elements (trees, plants, water features), and infrastructure (pathways, barriers, signage).
Management Structures: Public spaces can be categorized by their management and ownership models, from fully public to quasi-public to privately owned public spaces (POPS).
This systematic classification helps in several ways:
It enables better planning and design decisions by understanding the full spectrum of public space types;
It facilitates more effective management and maintenance strategies;
It helps in conducting comparative analyses between different spaces;
It supports policy development and resource allocation;
It aids in identifying gaps in public space provision within a community, city or region.
Based on both its cultural attributes and functional potential, here’s how we position PLAYABLE SCULPTURE:
Playable sculpture emerges as a specialised sub-category within the taxonomy of public space elements, constituting a hybrid category that merges public art and play infrastructure.
PLAYABLE SCULPTURE
“Playable sculpture” sits at the intersection of several classifications. The technical and functional aspects of ‘playable sculpture’ position it as a hybrid typology within public art and playspace taxonomies.
This form of installation is particularly interesting because it challenges traditional taxonomies by combining:
‘Playable Sculpture’ has emerged as a distinct category within contemporary sculptural practice that challenges traditional viewer-artwork relationships through its emphasis on physical engagement and participation. This practice represents a significant shift from ‘do not touch’ to ‘please interact,’ positioning sculpture as a site of embodied experience and social connection. Unlike traditional interactive art, playable sculpture specifically embraces play as both a conceptual framework and a mode of engagement, creating works that function simultaneously as serious artistic propositions and accessible sites of joy and discovery.
Lady of the Lake, 2023
MAP MIMA Commission
Lake Macquarie City Council
The Playful Exchange,
Forthcoming 2024,
Preston Train Station
The Secret, 2023
Drysdale Public Library, Victoria
Ludic Folly
2023
Atua Wāhine – Holding up the Sky,
2021
Commissioned for the Cordis Auckland Art Collection
Weeping Women
Ian Sculpture Court Commission
Monash University Museum of Art
LUDIC FOLLY
Pilot study of loose-part-playable sculptures, 2021
Sphinx in Repose
Loose Variables
ART SKATE DOTS
Chau Chak Wing Museum, October 2024
The Offering (Nyotaimori Reclining Nude)
2021
Acquired by the AGNSW, 2021
UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC SPACE TAXONOMIES
In the context of public space, taxonomies can be understood in several valuable ways:
Space Classification: Public spaces can be categorised based on their physical characteristics, size, function, and accessibility. For example, Primary categories might include parks, plazas, streets, waterfronts, and civic spaces. These can then be further subdivided – parks might be classified into neighborhood parks, pocket parks, regional parks, and linear parks.
Usage Patterns: Spaces can be classified based on how people use them, such as gathering spaces, transit spaces, recreational spaces, or mixed-use spaces.
Spatial Elements: The components within public spaces can be taxonomically organised, including furniture (benches, lighting, waste bins), natural elements (trees, plants, water features), and infrastructure (pathways, barriers, signage).
Management Structures: Public spaces can be categorized by their management and ownership models, from fully public to quasi-public to privately owned public spaces (POPS).
This systematic classification helps in several ways:
Based on both its cultural attributes and functional potential, here’s how we position PLAYABLE SCULPTURE:
Playable sculpture emerges as a specialised sub-category within the taxonomy of public space elements, constituting a hybrid category that merges public art and play infrastructure.