MAPPING PLAY IN EINDHOVEN 

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Playing, a verb often used when describing activities involving children. But what is play and do we ever stop playing?

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Playing not only help us to release stress it is also a act of social engagement. Homo Ludens is latin meaning playing human, I believe we all have a playfulness within us. The expressions it takes can vary and sometimes be difficult to recognize, this is the true essence of play.

When conducting my research of play in Eindhoven I got a first hand insight to how people here perceive playing. I found a intriguing vulnerability among those I interviewed, play is something personal.

Norms of today creates structures that influences our behavior as we get older and become more aware of our context. Rules telling us to act ”normal”, one could question if this isn’t a sort of playing in itself?

Today we tend to discard playing as something only young children do, it is in a way looked down upon.

But the truth is that playing is a way of studying our surroundings, playing is something that we need to exercise throughout life. Playing helps processing thoughts and impressions, it lets us face emotions in a second world. Helping to create a safe space were we can acknowledge our feelings no matter how difficult they are. Through play you get to know yourself, and therefore become more open to knowing and understanding others.

Exercising the freedom that play can be lets us grow as people and social beings, this map is a reminder of just that. 

 

”Play lies outside the antithesis of wisdom and folly, and equally outside those of truth and falsehood, good and evil”

                                                                                                                Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens

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