The Ruinist found something else to do in Rio after being inspired by an article on Aldo van Eyck's playgrounds in Amsterdam and his move from rational play structures to a more relative mix of play architecture, deleting the boundaries of play space / pedestrian space and thinking more about the urban context for play:
Here follows a series of photographs from Lapa, Gloria, Flamengo, Largo do Machado, Botafogo, Laranjeiras and Cosme Velho taken as part of passing by a playground in the moment or as part of a special excursion to visit one seen from a bus or on other walks.
The most spectacular are at the start with some multi-coloured mini modernist cities of the poured concrete form so beloved in Brazil. These were the exception. Then comes a standard municipal model - yellow swings, orange slide, blue climbing frame! There is nothing very van Eyck about these puppies apart from some of them being at corner spaces, old spaces, unused spaces like post-War Amsterdam. They are what they are though - a bog standard playground found all over but each with their own local clientele or own ruination. The one sandpit The Ruinist found (excited as we were by van Eyck's love of the sandpit) was more or less a part-time trash pit or sometimes toilet).
The Ruinist refrained from too many humans in the pictures this being a study of the material conditions of play. Pictured in no particular order or cluster and without street references because The Ruinist's notes became so chaotic and indecipherable and The Ruinist was feeling lazy tonight. Enjoy!
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January - June 2012
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