Play AS CONDUIT to awaken our dormant selves
“Play is the quintessential form of human freedom.”
David Graeber, 2020
‘Arrrr’ 2014, acrylic paint, PVA, polythene
MARCH 2021
While my output is nearly always abstract, I absorb as much input as I can through my daily life and surroundings, as well as being influenced by whatever times we are living in, and the culture being produced.
As I guess we all do, I go through life feeling confused, anxious, utterly depressed, and angered by certain events, but also incredibly grateful for life and the feelings of happiness, warmth, and love it brings through human connection and compassion.
I feel acutely aware of the nano bit of time we each have on this planet, and our scaled out steps in relation to the wider country, continent, world, and universe. But despite this ‘tiny dot’ syndrome, I am passionate about protecting and awakening the agency we each have to make a positive contribution. For this, I’m certain we need to protect our imaginations, our time to think, our freedom to play, and our power to reach each other’s souls through art.
There’s a beautiful enigmatic language of art, which transcends verbal language. It is imperfect, messy, and odd, but it is human, and it has a long history, way back on the cave walls, showing the urge to communicate through marks and materials.
For these innovative marks to first appear, there must have been playful curiosity. And there must have been an audience who was touched and inspired by the action. I feel now, more than ever it is deeply important to keep that freedom to play and the possibility of connection and inspiration alive.
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* Quote taken from a great interview with David Graeber and Maja Kantar, for DiEM25, shortly before David sadly died. Imagine where his thoughts on play and human freedom would have taken him if he were still here… Have a listen to the full interview for DiEM25 here:
