{"id":999,"date":"2017-08-07T12:42:41","date_gmt":"2017-08-07T12:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mathesonmarcault.com\/?p=999"},"modified":"2017-08-07T12:49:32","modified_gmt":"2017-08-07T12:49:32","slug":"august-physical-play-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mathesonmarcault.com\/index.php\/2017\/08\/07\/august-physical-play-roundup\/","title":{"rendered":"August physical play roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s August! As always there’s some open calls and conferences and games going on, but there’s also a\u00a0lot\u00a0<\/em>of interesting writing around this month.<\/p>\n

Open Calls<\/h3>\n

WordPlay is back in Toronto and has an open call out<\/a> for games and talks relating to the use of words in contemporary games. Games that are accepted for the showcase receive an artist fee of $80.<\/p>\n

And Game on! El arte en juego<\/a>, in Buenos Aires, also has a call out for an event to take place in December. The google form to submit a game is here<\/a>. (No artist fee or travel support currently available, but past iterations of the event have obviously been great)<\/em>.\u00a0They’re keen on experimental games, interactive playful objects, strange controllers and all sorts.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Conferences\u00a0and\u00a0Talks<\/h3>\n

Come along for\u00a0The London Salon: Playing Out<\/a> at the Museum of London on 8 August (that’s TOMORROW). There’ll be three speakers discussing play in the city, including Matt Adams from Blast Theory, and also me (Holly). Plus we’ll be running a tiny new game called Pop-Up City.<\/p>\n

If you’re interested in games and libraries, then 12 August sees Game Library Camp<\/a> at the British Library – free, but registration required. It’s aimed primarily at librarians but anyone interested in libraries (and on this occasion, games in libraries) is welcome.<\/p>\n

The V&A has announced Parallel Worlds<\/a> for 30 September. Last year’s was\u00a0great<\/em>, and also sold out, so worth getting a ticket early if you’re keen to go. Speakers for this year include Tim Hunkin of the amazing Novelty Automation<\/a> in Holborn, You+Pea<\/a> with\u00a0their intriguing stuff at the games\/architecture overlap, and Sharna Jackson of Seahorse<\/a> and about nine million super-neat projects that combine technology and play for children in interesting ways.<\/p>\n

And Watershed’s\u00a0Making the City Playable<\/a>\u00a0conference is on in 19 October (in Bristol), and will clearly<\/em> be great. They’re slowly announcing more speakers.<\/p>\n

Exhibitions<\/h3>\n

Bar SK in Melbourne is currently showing an exhibition to celebrate the launch of new studio Play Reactive<\/a>.\u00a0And here’s a nice writeup<\/a> of XYZT: Abstract Landscapes, an exhibition of interactive “digital landscapes” by\u00a0Adrien M & Claire B<\/a>\u00a0currently showing in Washington DC.<\/p>\n

Some exhibitions that are still running since the last time we wrote one of these roundups: Time to Play<\/a>\u00a0at the Museum of London; States of Play<\/a>\u00a0in Hull, which “shows how play shapes our lives and the world around us”,\u00a0with sixteen different games including new commissions;\u00a0play and psychoanalysis at the Freud Museum<\/a>; and in Milan,\u00a0Giro Giro Tondo: Design for Children<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Festivals and Events<\/h3>\n

Freeplay in Melbourne has appointed Chad Toprak as its new director<\/a>, and announced that there’ll be a festival in the first half of 2018. In the mean time, from August 15-27, Freeplay and the team who ran Contours last year will be putting on Contours 2017<\/a>, a\u00a0\u00a0“mixtape exhibition of contemporary Australian videogames”.<\/p>\n

Up in Edinburgh, it’s currently time for\u00a0Futureplay<\/a>\u00a0(until 26 August) – a load of games and\u00a0stuff\u00a0<\/em>including “a virtual reality studio, a gaming and interactive tech zone, an immersive art gallery, a black box theatre, food stalls and a bar”. There are some great games there, plus talks, performances, and installations, and also it’s in a series of geodesic domes<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Things to Read<\/h3>\n

White Noise, a West London publication about cities and people, has been having\u00a0a “month of play”. There’s a look at a wonderful project documenting playgrounds in Singapore<\/a>. There’s the idea of “play marks<\/a>“, the traces left behind by play, in White City Adventure Playground. There’s Darran Anderson on the history of playgrounds<\/a>\u00a0and their role in a city. Just have a look at all of it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Game Studies has announced<\/a> that it now welcomes writing about non-digital games, which is neat! Of course, Analog Game Studies<\/a>\u00a0also exists and is full of essays about the physical side of games – most recently:<\/p>\n