‘Play with(out) Grounds’ is a room in The Garden of Privatised Delights, designed by architecture practice vPPR.
Can we design new spaces in the city for teenagers to occupy on their own terms?
Too old for the playground, too broke for the café, too young for the pub... Teenagers are often ignored in the design of public spaces.
The marginalisation of teenagers has been exacerbated by the pandemic, and young people now have even fewer places to go: schools and youth centres are closed or highly restricted and space at home is often limited.
‘Play with(out) Grounds’ references both a playground for young children and the adult world depicted in Hieronymus Bosch’s famous triptych, The Garden of Earthly Delights. The structure in the room acts as a framework for a soundscape of audio interviews with young people from diverse backgrounds, allowing ignored voices of teenagers to be heard.
Alluding to the contradictions of public life faced by this ‘in-between’ age group, the installation allows for interpretation and appropriation in its use, and asks if we can we change the way teenagers experience public space.
