July 25, 2022 - Play:Disrupt

Pink, orange and green cards with writing in polish on them, clipped to a metal trellis

Understanding Local Context- Łódź, Poland

Context is everything. This couldn’t be more true in our journey to Poland to share ROOTS at a games festival focusing on ‘neighbourhoods’. We designed ROOTS in Bristol in England. By that I mean we designed it within the social and political constructs of England.

Newsletter: Children, design and our growing family

Hello! It’s Amy Rose here, and I’ll be editing the newsletter while Jenny is on maternity leave. Like Play:Disrupt’s founder and director, Malcolm Hamilton, my background is in street theatre and outdoor arts. I enjoy work that builds community and democratises public space in joyful, playful

Newsletter: Do games really improve engagement?

In this month’s newsletter Do games really improve engagement? Gamify to Clarify Upcoming Time for a new Bristol brand? Introducing Nia Play, design thinking and Free Ice Cream to map sustainable futures Gamify Everything? Do games really improve engagement? Saturday, March 23 is the penultimate Bristol Urban

Newsletter: What’s often useful, sometimes messy but always essential?

In this month’s newsletter Often useful, sometimes messy, always essential Make an Encouraging Banner Upcoming News Pop-up place-making Often useful, sometimes messy, always essential I recently attended an inaugural lecture by an old friend at the University of Bristol, expecting to hear about his projects, in which maths

Newsletter: Bottle caps and bits of string; mapping our play-based research methods

Play, imagination, storytelling and games form the roots of our methods to facilitate conversations between and within organisations, institutions and participants. We work alongside participants as problem solvers in challenges, whether that be a placemaking exercise, health service, playground design and more. Our approaches are aligned with

Newsletter: Listening to children’s voice

Listening to children’s voice; Why involve children and young people in planning and placemaking? My workspace is within earshot of a local primary school where children play on their breaks. Most days, the sounds from the schoolyard provide a pleasant rhythm to my day. Other times it pulls

A small rectangular badge with objects stuck onto it including a small elephant, button and springs. Held up by hands infront of the words Fesitval of Place

Premonitions from Festival of Place

We always enjoy attending Festival of Place, and this year we were asked to devise an activity to help connect people and break the ice after a couple of years of limited social contact. Inspired by The Good Ancestor, by Roman Krznaric, Aileen Tatton-Brown’s future

Help us test a new digital mapping tool

Play:Disrupt and play technologists Free Ice Cream are developing a digital mapping tool that invites users to connect with the systems that influence their places. This tool aims to build more agency for communities and individuals, while getting a clearer picture of what makes a

Create As A Community

It was just over a year ago that the statue of Edward Colston was toppled in Bristol during anti-racism protests. The conversation about Coslton’s legacy in Bristol has been alive for many more years prior, relating to the statue and the many streets and buildings

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