Playgrounds and Toys
2000 - ongoing
Time is the child’s kingdom,
said the Greek philosopher Heraclites.
The possibility to play freely during childhood,
to "construct" and "destroy",
and to let one’s imagination develop its magical powers
is a fundamental right of every human being,
too often denied in many areas of our world, rich or poor.
Playgrounds & Toys is a fully sustainable and innovative contemporary art project that offers tangible support to existing schools, orphanages and local communities in order to improve the welfare and upbringing of disadvantaged children and of all those with little or no access to such facilities, throughout the world.
ART for The World provides these schools and communities with both indoor and outdoor playgrounds, promoting the education of the children and assisting in their personal rehabilitation, keeping them stimulated, encouraging the development of cultural and personal identity, and, most important, adding joy to their lives.
With great sensibility and in accordance to the project’s guidelines, over eighty young or well-known artists, architects and designers from all over the world have collaborated with ART for The World since 2000 to create unique designs for playgrounds and educational toys for children, that are simple and inexpensive to construct and that strictly abide by standard safety requirements. The playground designs, in the form of 1:15 scale models, are shown in traveling exhibitions around the world to increase awareness in the largest public.
The Playgrounds have been fabricated for schools and communities, so far in India, United Kingdom, Armenia, Greece and China as well as collective toys have been distributed in the refugee camps in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Tanzania with the help of UN Agencies.
Playground that changes, The Pioneer
General view of the playgrounds at the John Kirakossian School, Yerevan, 2003
Fabiana de Barros, Fiteiro Cultural, John Kirakossian School, Yerevan, 2003
Fabrice Gygi, Playground, John Kirakossian School, Yerevan, 2003
Stefano Boccalini, Random Map, John Kirakossian School, Yerevan, 2003
Chen Zhen, Danser la Musique, Yitian Holiday Plaza, Shenzhen, 2009-2010
Chen Zhen, Danser la Musique, Yitian Holiday Plaza, Shenzhen, 2009-2010
Edgar Soares, Goooooaaal!!!, Stade de la Praille, Geneva, 2003
Les jeux d'enfants d'Art for The World, Creations
Playground model by Atelier van Lieshout, Hangar Bicocca, Milan, 2005
UN Headquarters Visitors Lobby, New York, 2001, Exhibition view
La Manufacture des Oeillets, Paris, 2004
Exhibition view
Musée Océanographique, Monte Carlo, 2004, Exhibition view
