Cleo Broda,
Artist / Educator
Playing the IOE
All Welcome
Artist / Educator
Playing the IOE
All Welcome
Once, from a tram in Portugal on a very hot day, I saw a family sitting in a paddling pool on the busy pavement. A hose was trailing down the stairs of their apartment block and they were splashing water, laughing and enjoying the sunshine, then the tram moved on and they were out of sight. I’d like to borrow some of that family’s ease in occupying and enjoying shared public space.
Often, public spaces appear to only allow certain sorts of interaction. The exposed and monitored nature of being in public can mean that our palette of familiar behaviours is limited. In response, and informed by the moveable play tents and pop up theatres of my childhood, I have made a selection of low-tech portable accessories for use out and about in shared spaces.
Initially these have been devised in response to the particular context of the Denys Lasdun designed Institute of Education building, taking advantage of the potential of nooks, dead ends and overhangs for interaction. Although made with these specific spaces in mind, my intention is that the accessories will travel and be used in other places.
I have been thinking of the IOE building in terms of the ideas of Italian / Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi that a public building should offer something for everyone, including play, with no hierarchy. As a student in the building, I have become accustomed to learning here in a variety of ways, but there is also space for inquisitive exploration of the architecture.
The pieces are lightweight and portable using utility fabrics and plain construction, saturated colours and geometric shapes. They are open to interpretation and different uses - they can be hung, wrapped, arranged, worn, folded, stretched, sat on or under, stacked, looked through and scrunched. I’m interested in creating an invitation to others to use them to inhabit, share and play in public spaces, especially spaces that seem to not invite use, and in doing so, widen our range of familiar behaviours.
Initially these have been devised in response to the particular context of the Denys Lasdun designed Institute of Education building, taking advantage of the potential of nooks, dead ends and overhangs for interaction. Although made with these specific spaces in mind, my intention is that the accessories will travel and be used in other places.
I have been thinking of the IOE building in terms of the ideas of Italian / Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi that a public building should offer something for everyone, including play, with no hierarchy. As a student in the building, I have become accustomed to learning here in a variety of ways, but there is also space for inquisitive exploration of the architecture.
The pieces are lightweight and portable using utility fabrics and plain construction, saturated colours and geometric shapes. They are open to interpretation and different uses - they can be hung, wrapped, arranged, worn, folded, stretched, sat on or under, stacked, looked through and scrunched. I’m interested in creating an invitation to others to use them to inhabit, share and play in public spaces, especially spaces that seem to not invite use, and in doing so, widen our range of familiar behaviours.