15 minutes

Task: Consider the different play objects and games that you can remember throughout your life.

Think through your various ages...

What did you play with as a child? What are the objects/toys/tools/games/spaces/interactions/performances that you engaged with then -> a teen -> now?

Begin by writing/sketching/collaging your 'play journey timeline': whatever comes to your mind as something you remember being significant to play. Do this individually but feel free to discuss openly to find differences and connections.

Online students: I will mute the lecture theatre noise. Please discuss with each other on Zoom if you can, I will begin this task with you online.

I will then give space for a dialogue.

Meeting ID: 924 1230 5685
Passcode: 978971

You will need paper and drawing equipment.

Task2.A: Drawing from memory (images shown in class)

Task2.B: Closed-eye drawings from memory of the play objects you remembered from your play journey reflections.

You will have 5 drawings in total.

Until 16:00

(please take lunch 13:00-14:00)

Task: Using any mediums and materials that you wish, prototype your concept. Allow yourself to think and experiment through making; your concept may change and evolve over the prototyping process. Prototyping through multiple iterations is very welcome.

YOU MUST DOCUMENT YOUR PROCESS! (photos/audio/video)

AND UPLOAD HERE ON THE PADLET

On Campus students:

You may use the technical workshop and any found materials that are available on campus.

Online students:

Feel free to work in any way you wish; you may also leave your working environment to utilise the outdoors or other places where you can prototype your concept.

12:00 - 13:00: Tasks & prototyping

13:00 - 14:00: Lunch break

14:00 - 16:00: Prototyping and documenting

16:00 - 17:00: Presentations & reflective task

Green posts^: General information

Purple posts: Task descriptions

Red posts: Highlighted instructions

10 minutes

Task: You are to create a concept based on one of your play memories. This can be:

object
game

space
experience
interaction
digital space/programme

However, you are to think of the worst possible outcome as the place to begin your brain-storming of the concept. This method is called "Reverse Brainstorming'.

You may write, sketch, collage to communicate this concept. Go with your instinct and gut. Roll with whatever comes up, there are no right or wrongs.

For example:

Based on personal childhood memories of a baby doll that I shared with my sisters, I would like to create a new concept around a baby doll toy.

The worst idea I can think of for a baby doll is one that is fragile, potentially dangerous, and very ugly in aesthetics. I will begin to work with those principles while I reverse brainstorm on the concept of the worst possible baby doll for children.

https://dominicwilcox.com/?portfolio=snap-crack-and-pop-amplifier-cereal-bowl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YURnqlNIXX8&t=3s

Task: Please upload to your blog the documentation from today's workshop and any reflections on your making process and prototypes. This is a gentle reminder that the blogs must be engaged with consistently.

You may find it helpful to use my method 'Love Song for Making' or 'Love Song for *insert concept name here*'.

This method involves simply writing a love letter to your prototypes. Perhaps this is a happy love letter describing joy and fulfilment, or maybe this is a sad love letter that addresses other feelings. Again, this method is about using absurdity and playfulness to provide risk-free moments of reflectivity.

Did your favourite teddy not make it through the operation at the toy hospital?

Worry not! We've got just the kit you need to preserve your plush pal for a final send off!

But I love poking you

A perfect addition to my potion

Maybe I’ll make that boy down the road

Who I really fancy

Drink it and fall in love with me. 

To be honest, during the day I had thoughts in my mind like: is it usefull what I’m doing now or isn’t it too silly for adults? And also few times I’ve thought what will other think and tell about you, my paper cloth.

Anyway, I feel myself on the completely different level of adulthood: playing child games with adult stuff during working time in my own way.

As I reflect on my childhood memories, I’m filled with gratitude for your enduring companionship throughout it. Your fragile pages hold the memories of laughter, friendship and dreams.

Thank you for turning on the switch of my imagination, for every time we played. Your ability to effortlessly mix outfits and create different personalities became the best playground for me.

I still recall the excitement that grew within me as I eagerly awaited the next magazine to publish, wondering what kind of outfits you would showcase. Each new edition was a treasure , an exciting journey, revealing styles and fashions that sparked my curiosity and fueled my imagination.

In the quiet moments when nostalgia sets in, I find comfort in these memories and feel warmth in my chest and the smile comes on its own.

We used to share and exchange your paper cut clothes with friends and cousins, a ritual that added an extra layer of connection, turning our playtime into a shared adventures.

You were not just paper and cuts. You were my real-life doll, replacing all these glamorous Barbie dolls with your unique charm, simplicity and limitless possibilities. Thank you for these memories, I am glad I had you.

As I set out to create you, I couldn't help but reminisce about the old retro gaming console I used to play with at my grandmother's house when I was young. I remember my cousins gathering in one room, eagerly awaiting their turn to play. It reminded me of how terrible I was at those games!

Creating you brought back memories of those whimsical thoughts from my childhood. Even today, during class, I found myself wondering: Can such thoughts really lead to something meaningful? Nevertheless, I chose to embrace creative thinking and ultimately ended up bringing you to life.

Although I didn't have a wealth of resources to create you at home, the process of envisioning you allowed me to indulge in endless fun imaginings. Thanks to you, I also had the chance to reconnect with my younger self. I'm truly grateful for that!

When I first saw you, I thought you rocked the bald look. You had no eyes, but I could feel them glistening as you stood discarded in the scrap section of the making room. 

I don’t know who made you or where you came from, but I saw so much potential. You had the potential to be so many things. Potential to be worked on. 

You became a carte blanche for my creativity and I shall always be grateful to you for that. It was so much fun exploring different styles on you as I made them for you. 

Odd sunglasses, earrings, and funky hair. 

You looked so good in everything. The best part was that you didn’t even complain about how bizarre some ideas were. Like sticking a POP finger in your collarbone or corkscrew in your shoulder. Or even when I pushed a million pins in you to fix things. 

I apologize for causing so much damage to you. 

Do you know the best part of our time together? I loved holding all your 4 hands. Your boneless hands, filled with colored water. Holding your cold flimsy fingers was extremely therapeutic. (And a little weird.)

So even I could not see this coming. 

I just can’t keep up with how much you change. There are times when I can’t recognize you. At all. 

Your accessories took up all of my table space. I cannot keep them any longer. You know how deeply I value my table space. 

But that’s not the only reason. 

You’re just not sustainable for me. It's not me, it’s your Styrofoam. And I know you can’t change your core material. None of us can. 

But, I want to depart from this experience on a high. 

Our time together was brief, but the experience of working with you was fun, enjoyable, and rewarding. 

PS. I am keeping all the pictures, especially of us holding hands.