Gary Webb, Squeaky Clean, Charlton Park Greenwich, London, 2012

Wishing for that moment again, when “after generations of neglect, the public playground is suddenly in the midst of a renascence as designers, sculptors, painters and architects strive to create a new world of color, texture and form" (Jay Jacobs, 1967, as quoted in Trainor) I've been pleased, just over the last year or so, to see an increasing number of artists involved in playground design.  Enough for me to declare a mini-trend:  of quirky hiccups here and there startling the dull steady drone of generic playground installations.  Cause for hope!

When Frieze Projects East commissioned six new public art projects for the Olympic Host Boroughs in East London, the only permanent installation among them was, wisely, a combination of art and play.

Gary Webb's 'Squeaky Clean' combines his characteristic jelly-bean like colors and shapes (particularly effective against the gray London sky, don't you think?) with frames and nets, making them perches for contemplation as well as climbing.  I think young children would find the reflective resin shapes particularly attractive to touch and experience.

The comic sensibility of Webb's artwork makes it well-suited for the playground.   I keep a running list in my head of other artists-I-would-like-to-see-design-playgrounds...which I'll try to make a blog category at some point, but of course if you're a fabulously wealthy playground collector in need of curation advice do get in touch.

If we let more artists make playgrounds, will there be some that don't work out, that the community doesn't accept or the children won't play on?  Sure.  But that happens with manufactured playgrounds already, more than most communities are willing to acknowledge.  Involving an artist in your project might seem like a risk, but the upside is the creation of a truly memorable space whose value to the community goes far beyond just physical play.

(all photos from Frieze Projects East)