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As the renowned playwright George Bernard Shaw once remarked, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” This belief is central to the work of the artists, designers, and architects featured within a new book by Emmy Watts.
Published by Hoxton Mini Press earlier this fall, The Art of Play catalogs more than 80 of the world’s most imaginative playspaces. This exhilarating volume journeys through a sculptural playground resembling a child’s scribble, a crocheted net snaking through the air, a cat with a maniacal grin, and even a Victorian slate mine.
These playspaces astound in their originality and offer a glimpse into how designers approach a child’s innate urge to play. For example, Rocks on Wheels in Melbourne, Australia, transforms locally sourced boulders into an inventive adventure playground by mounting slides, ropes, and other recycled objects upon them. Marmara Forum Cloud Playground in Istanbul, on the other hand, is composed of a kaleidoscopic cluster of bulbous, cloud-like structures, each bearing multicolored windows that change shade with the light.
The Art of Play proves how surprising and rewarding the collision between art and play can be. Yayoi Kusama’s Obliteration Room invited adults and children alike to plaster spot stickers across a white “apartment” installation. Over the course of several weeks, the space was overtaken by a colorful explosion of polka dots—a participatory project so successful that it traveled to more than 20 venues around the world during its two-decade run.
Other playgrounds in the book reinterpret significant art movements and forms. A vertical soft play in Czechia takes its inspiration from Piet Mondrian’s iconic minimalist and de Stijl compositions, creating an abstract playroom doused in a primary color palette. Archival photos of concrete play structures informed the contemporary Brutalist Playground in London, and Doha Modern Playground in Qatar celebrates the country’s stunning modernist architecture.
“In a world full of rules, such non-prescriptive playgrounds feel deliciously liberating, granting kids the space to act wholly on impulse,” Watts writes in her introductory essay.
From Bangkok to Beijing, Canberra to Copenhagen, The Art of Play beautifully captures the creative spirit of playgrounds around the world. To order your copy, visit Bookshop or the Hoxton Mini Press website.
Published earlier this fall, The Art of Play journeys to the world’s most imaginative, bizarre, and creative playgrounds.
Pixeland in Mianyang, China. 100architects, 2018 (Photo: Amey Kandalgaonkar).
Rocks on Wheels in Melbourne, Australia. Mike Hewson, 2022 (Photo: Mike Hewson).
This vast compendium showcases more than 80 playspaces that combine play and art for both children and adults to enjoy.
City Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. Bob Cassilly, 1997.
ForKids Club in Shenzhen, China. PANORAMA Design Group, 2023 (Photo: PoPo Vision).
Featured playgrounds range from a structure inspired by the tale of Gulliver's Travels to a cloud-like playspace with multi-colored windows.
Parque Gulliver in Valencia, Spain. Rafael Rivera and Manolo Martín, 1990.
Marmara Forum Cloud Playground in Istanbul, Türkiye. Carve, 2020 (Photo: Asli Dayioglu).
Many playgrounds in The Art of Play also riff on traditional art and cultural forms.
Doha Modern Playground in Doha, Qatar. Shezad Dawood and Fatma Al Sahlawi, 2022 (Photo: Sarjoun Faour).
Visual Playrooms, GASK in Kutná Hora, Czechia. Opened 2010 (Photo: David Christian Lichtag).
The Art of Play is an enriching and rewarding survey that captures the creative spirit of playspaces around the world.
ForKids Club in Shenzhen, China. PANORAMA Design Group, 2023 (Photo: PoPo Vision).
