infinite play
While studying an MA in Applied Imagination at Central St. Martins, I chose to explore the relationship between play and personal transformation. Drawing on the research into play as a tool for learning and catalyst for creativity, I was interested in understanding if and how choosing play as a mode of interaction could transform someone’s experience and even their understanding of the world and their place in it. Since enlightened masters seem to awaken to life as play, I wondered if it was possible to play ourselves awake…
My research artefact was a game called Infinite Play which invited players to engage with their world on a number of levels – physical, emotional, intellectual & spiritual... I was interested in if it was possible to keep the spirit of play going with someone even as we delved into more intimate and complex realms of experience; and if you could, what newfound realisations or sense of liberation might arise from them.
One of the game’s invitations was to ‘create a shine to something you hold sacred’. This turned out to be hugely popular and profound part of the game as it allowed participants to celebrate what they valued in their lives. As they laid out their objects, players would share stories and acknowledge the meanings attached to each thing, and as they beheld their shrines, they were able to see and appreciate themselves in a new light… I have taken this concept forward and now use it in my coaching practise.
