PLAY “Play” is a C. Farrell Merit Scholarship project that uses drawing and sculpture to explore the idea of play in relation to American values. By focusing my endeavors on the concept of zero-sum games, I display my own interpretation of childhood and competition as a starting block into the competitive, male biased, American culture that glorifies winners and rejects losers. I have created an intergenerational outlook of play by creating a playground that revolves around zero-sum games. These ideas are expressed through the concept of a playground, which I have presented as scale models and representational drawings.
Play is a culturally significant activity. We relate play to childhood and as a developing factor that shapes us as human beings. In my opinion our assimilation into the dominant culture begins with play. Play contains rules and boundaries; creates friends and social groups. Play can be serious or silly; complicated or easy. The games that are created for play are fascinating in themselves. My interest in play lies within America’s competitive adult world and its origins in childhood with the types of games known as zero-sum. A precursor to the competitive world we live in as adults.
Zero-sum games in respect to the playground are games that involve two or more competitors competing for a mutually exclusive goal. Zero sum games are found in something as simple as a board game to something as complex as international politics. In the case of the playground zero-sum games remain a national standard to which we judge our youth and prepare them for a world driven by such competitive forces. For “Play” I have used two different means in representing the playground, these involve the external and the internal. The external is defined by models that I have created that represent the playground, as it would actually look like if it were built, the internal is defined by drawings that I have made, they represent the abject or the inner turmoil found within the playground.
The tight, clean construction of the models references architectural plans. They hold both an aesthetic appeal as well as an ominous tone. Despite their clean looks they also appear to be very dangerous. As an example the slide looks as though it would be an enjoyable ride, but at the same time there contains a large amount of danger involved in sliding down something so steep. The models are a representation of this external or outward appearance of the playground.
The drawings then become a representation of the internal forces that drive the playground. Where the models are cold and detached the drawings are both harsh and emotionally tense. The drawings become an abject representation of the playground as idea and they present the inner turbulence found within such a space. Where the models are detached from the participants the drawings define their problems.
Together the models and the drawings are placed in a gallery to identify the playground as a whole. Zero-sum games lie at the center of this playground where competition is key to weeding out the losers from the winners. An area normally designated for children becomes a field of exploration into our social values. As such, many of the ideals that we take to be true in similar environments become twisted to the point where the virtue of competitiveness surpasses the virtue of sportsmanship. Our goals shift and we no longer relate playing for enjoyment, but rather relate playing to winning.
The purpose of this project is to explore and present the idea that our cultural values begin forming at the time we begin to play games. I am specifically interested in investigating America’s value for competition and winning, which I believe is a trait learned early on in our growth and development, where even seemingly mindless games reinforce win or lose cultural ideals.
