'Photo adapted from original, copyright Robert Prather’
"Playable City ideas are a human response to the coldness and anonymity of the urban environment. By encouraging activities that bring joy, we can create a happier, more cohesive urban future" The Guardian
By transforming city spaces into places of unexpected interaction, Playable City Lagos will act as a conversation starter for the change we would like to see in our cities of the future. Playable City is a framework developed by Bristol's Watershed Arts Centre which puts people and play at the heart of the future city.
Over the last few months, we've been talking to Lagosians to see if they'd be interested in hosting the first Playable City in Sub-Saharan Africa. Future Lagos and Nsibidi Institute have conducted research to understand some of the city’s most pertinent issues and generate ideas for the British Council and Watershed to structure this project around. Mobility will be the theme of the project, open to interpretation.
Applications are now open for three UK-based and seven Nigeria-based creative practioners to be part of the project. We are looking for creative, ambitious, curious people from any discipline who believe we can start a new kind of city conversation through play.
This is a unique chance to submerge your creativity in a new setting and a new framework. For more information and details on how to apply, please follow this link.
Successful Applicants will be awarded:
• £1000 honorarium (or the Naira equivalent)
• Travel and accommodation (where needed, including international flights)
• Food and subsistence for the duration of the programme
• Practical support and expertise in producing the work, and understanding local culture
• Access to facilities and connection to a vibrant community of creatives
• Professional documentation of the work, including images and a video of the project.
Past Playable City projects have included Urbanimals, where the public interacted with a variety of friendly animals; Shadowing, where people's shadows became interactive art; and Hello Lampost, where city objects became a mode of communication between one another. Each of these interventions enabled the public to engage and play with their city in new ways.
The concept of play in our cities is definitely capturing the zeitgeist. For more examples of this check out Volkswagen’s 'The Fun Theory'.
CALL NOW CLOSED. To see the 11 participants who were selected to take part, please visit this link.
British Council is working in partnership with Watershed to deliver Playable City Lagos, which is supported by the Goethe-Institut Nigeria, Future Lagos and CcHub.
