Playgrounds are an integral meeting place for any community, providing a safe space for children to play and for adults to meet and interact with others in their community. They promote free play, support essential development and learning for children and counteract isolation by providing a space to be with others. But do we actually celebrate their importance in regional towns, especially in towns with limited resources?

Bokeh (Exhibition in Light & Sound presented by Candelo Art Society & Bega Sound Collective) provided the perfect opportunity to launch the first iteration of ‘Play The Playground’. An idea that F.O.S. has been working towards for a few years now, where we visit playgrounds in regional towns; with particular emphasis on towns that have been effected by fires, floods and economic stress. We play the playground.and bring the playground to life in an audio and visual feast that is site specific to the area and town. Presenting the playground in a different way, as more than just an ordinary playground but a celebration of its importance and the necessary role it plays in the community bringing community together.

For this project we collected footage of the Candelo playground and surrounds, and created a layered video montage that was then projection mapped onto the train play equipment at the Candelo Playground using MAX MSP.

Incorporating pre collected Audio samples of the playground and dressed as train conductors we literally played the playground equipment using contact mics connected to the train along with repurposed fishing line that was plucked and bowed as these sounds were sent through various guitar effects pedals, which we played alongside our handmade instruments, samplers and korg synthesizer. The sampled audio were recordings from the playground and surrounds, we also sourced train and train related audio online.

All stations to Somewhere Out There….tickets please!….