PLAYING WITH FORM

Playing with Form

November - February 2024

Informed by the idea that play is generative in (re)shaping and (re)forming our present conditions, this collection of work documents a year-long collaboration facilitated by creativity and making as serious, playful, and intellectual. Long considered an activity that only children do, we gesture towards play as more than a confined set of activities belonging to a particular time, space, set of activities, or group of people, but a sociocultural practice where individuals creatively and collectively ideate towards new and emergent practices. In academic settings, we often demand specificity, expertise, and a commitment to a singular path. What if we open up spaces to encourage experimentation and exploration as sites of possibility? Where do we find pockets of exploration and experimentation to develop, dabble, and cast our imaginations across different contexts and platforms, using a variety of modes and forms while interacting with objects, materials, other people, and technology? 

It is often said, “there is no time for play in kindergarten”, however, there might not be enough time for play in higher education, either. In other words, we envision an academia that blurs disciplinary boundaries, disrupts traditional forms, and reimagines what counts as productive and valuable. We do this in order to expand the boundaries of what is knowable and, in so doing, expand the impact of research and teaching