Danger Zone

Nets are commonly seen in playgrounds. Both barrier and passageway, link and obstruction, and a surface to climb and cross, they present many possibilities for play while keeping children safe. In different contexts though, nets trap, ensnare and enclose. Yet when enclosing, their gaping holes still leave the children exposed and vulnerable to harm. In Danger Zone, hostile entities run rampant on the ground and attempt to thwart the children’s progress as they thrust their strange weapons through the mesh, pointing out its failure as a protective barrier even as it is also the children’s only hope of crossing to safety.

From the series Proposal for Playgrounds

Who you hang out with, the games you play, how you behave, who you ignore or listen to - these are all rules you’ve likely first learned at the playground. These drawings pay tribute to the simple childhood joy of playing, yet acknowledges that as we do so innocently, we are also beginning to grasp complicated concepts that will only grow more pronounced over time, including but not limited to: belonging, exclusion, territorialisation, survival, danger, problem-solving, friendship and rivalry. These musings and reflection on early memories serve as the foundation of my new series Proposals for Playgrounds, where childhood behaviour and dynamics are exemplified by the very intentional design of fantastical playgrounds, or rather, environs.