Seattle Design Festival

Integrus Architecture in partnership with the Alliance for Pioneer Square want to bring PLAY4ALL!  Embark on a self-guided scavenger hunt for playful "disPLAY" installations throughout Pioneer Square. Begin at the Integrus Architecture storefront or visit the PLAY4ALL website to find a map of current disPLAY locations.  From there, it's up to you to explore! disPLAYs will rotate throughout the neighborhood for one week from Sept 12 - 19.

PLAY4ALL participating businesses include:

Arundel Books | Caffe Umbria | Clementines | Drygoods Design | Good Bar | Grand Central Bakery | Velouria | Zeitgeist

BACKGROUND 
As designers of schools and educational spaces, we are challenging the common preconceptions of play and learning environments.  In recent years, our understanding of play has undergone a radical shift.   Play was once considered a distracting diversion from "real” learning.  Now it is understood as a fundamental component of cognitive development. The more we learn about play, the more we believe that access to a diversity of quality play experiences is fundamental to support equity in learning. PLAY4ALL is a community-based exploration of how simple moments of play can encourage learning, and by extension, support an improved quality of public life.  Through play, we believe people can find greater connections with each other and with their environment. 

FRAMEWORK FOR EQUITY
In thinking about how to lower barriers to play, we have identified four PLAY4ALL principles:

1. INCREASE ACCESS. Identify ways to integrate play into everyday life. We challenge the notion that play should occur within the time constraints of recess and the spatial definition of a playground.
2. DECREASE COST. Explore how to recycle/repurpose everyday materials in a playful and elegant way.
3. DIVERSIFY MODALITIES. Frequently, play is synonymous with large-motor activities (climbing, jumping, sliding) and visually-oriented games. What about playing with sound or texture?  How about a game in which all players have limited mobility?
4. OPEN-ENDED SIMPLICITY. No instructions, no right or wrong way to play. Outcomes are unpredictable so play can occur without pretense or competition.

In an age when our communities are divided in multiple dimensions, we believe play has the power to unite. Play is not just for kids – most adults will eagerly play if given an opportunity. Individuals who may not typically interact can connect through play and have fun in the process!  In what other ways can play benefit our lives, both as individuals and as a community?  What are your favorite ways to play? We invite you to play with us in Pioneer Square anytime throughout the Seattle Design Festival and to become part of the #PLAY4ALL conversation!