Client: self-initiated
Place and Time: Grønland, Oslo, April 21 2018
Team: Mads Pålsrud, Tabea Glahs, Lauren Doherty, Zoe Rae
Delivery: Concept development, in-depth interviews, art direction, event production, design.
Main collaborators: Intercultural Museum, Omlek, JOY – Joint Organisation for Youth
Collaborators: Julian Hallen Eriksen, KIGO Kultur i Gamle Oslo, Kjell Tore Innervik & Håkon Høgemo, Elise & Kamal, Sportsklubben Sterling and Sameiet Jensens Have.
Sponsors: Områdeløftene Tøyen & Grønland, Intercultural Museum, Nille Grønland, Rema 1000 Grønland
Photo credits: Sébastian Dahl
How can we create non-commercial spaces for kids in the city, and how can we inspire children to make use of public space in alternative ways?
Children's everyday life is highly influenced by consumption. The billion-dollar toy industry is rigged to make kids want more and more stuff. At the same time, children spent less time outdoors – but in streets that are predominantly made for cars and commerce this is not a surprise. The streetgame festival wants to give different impulses to children and show that we don't need new toys and fancy playgrounds to have fun in our cities!
One day in the year, we close down one of the most central streets at Grønland, Oslo and fill it with outdoor games from all over the world. In co-creation with a diversity of local stakeholders, we host street games and activities such as Marbles, Tic Tac Toe, Gariir, Haft Sang, Gitta, Hopscotch, Kick The Can and a Toy Car Court.
So far, the activities included traditional Norwegian music and dance performances, a street disco, a kite workshop, DIY-slime workshop and a DIY toy-workshop where children made their own toys from recycled materials.
As research before the event we interviewed locals from Grønland about their childhood and games they used to play in the streets. Grønland is one of the most multiethnic areas in the city, and we interviewed people from Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Somalia, India and more.
All of the games we collected where gathered in a small publication that visitors of the festival can take home.
