Playform

2017-19 玩點
Playform

「玩點」是土炮遊樂場的一個為期兩年的藝術家駐場項目，旨在通過創造和分享新的遊戲方式，來啟發和激起人們的創造力和想像力，探索社會參與式藝術實踐的方向，開拓人與人的互動和社區認識的空間。

「玩點」意為一個供小孩和大人玩耍的框架，而英文名稱以「Play-form」命名，具雙重含義。我們一方面着重為藝術家創作理念，讓他們嘗試以不同的藝術形式進行探索「藝術」與「遊戲」之間的聯繫；另一方面，這名稱亦取其語帶相關的「Platform」（平台）一字，以促進社區人士交流技能、知識和經驗為目標。

在兩年裡，8位藝術家將在土瓜灣牛棚藝術村進行為期11週的駐留計劃，各藝術家會以當代藝術創作遊戲及探索與社區互動的新方法，並將回收廢物轉化為創造性材料，讓大眾一同參與和實驗創造有趣的玩意。

Play-form is a 2-year artist-in-residence programme organised by Play Depot that aims to inspire and motivate people to be creative and imaginative through sharing new ways of play, and explore the potential for socially engaged art practice to generate new interactions and understanding among people.

The Chinese name (玩點) literally means a place for kids and adults to play, while the English name Play-form has a double meaning. On one hand, it emphasizes that there are multiple ways in which play can be approached in art. One of the key objectives of the project is to create opportunities for artists to experiment different forms of play in art and explore the connection between ‘art’ and ‘play.’ On the other hand, it resembles the word “platform,” which refers to our goal to foster exchange of skills, knowledge and experience between people in the community.

Over the course of 2 years, 8 artists will undertake 11-week residencies at the Cattle Depot Artist Village in To Kwa Wan to explore contemporary art practice in relation to creative play. Each artist-in-residence will explore new way to interact with the community and the use of recycled wastes as creative materials for making playful objects through artistic engagement and experimentation.

2016-17 ⼟炮遊樂場
Playdepot

這計劃源自 2014 年土家與浸會大學視覺藝術院「啟德」視覺藝術研究與發展中心合作舉辦的「社區生產」計劃，當中藝術家以「升級再造」(upcycling) 的方法，組織區內成員把工業和家居廢料轉化為功能性產品。該計劃所建立的社區資本及網絡，成為了延展本計劃的出發點。

在這基礎上，我們構思如何把社區營造推進到下一個新階段。在2016年，我們以土瓜灣這正處於後工業發展和被士紳化的地區為基地，面對區內的劇變，我們邀請了六組藝術家以「玩」的方式介入社區，藉此拓展社區網絡，並結合街坊的手藝技能，互相激盪創意，把區內的工業和家居廢料轉化富玩味的創作，拓闊對遊樂設施和公共空間的想像，並締造互信互助的共融社區空間。

各藝術家亦定期舉辦新奇好玩，又寓學習於樂的工作坊和活動。在 2017 年 5 月至 6 月期間，他們和區內不同群組將匯聚在牛棚藝術村，舉辦開放式的社區遊樂場，以連繫社區中不同年齡、種族和背景的組群，包括兒童、青少年、家長，以及長者。

The genesis of this project began in 2014 when “ToHome“ and kaitak, Centre for Research and Development in Visual Arts of Academy of Visual Arts operated a “Social Manufacturer“ project. Through re-design and up-cycling, participating artists teamed up with the locals to give new life to industrial and household waste. This project leverages the previous extensive social networks, which form a firm foundation for our new venture.

One mission of “Play Depot“ is to carry this concept of community explored in the 2014 scheme to a whole new level. Six groups of artists were invited to break the confine of the local community, in the hope to address current issues like students' stress problems and our increasingly fragmented society. They tapped into the fluid concept of “play“, and exchange thoughts with the locals based on each other's understanding, experience, and know-how.

Fun and educational workshops are held regularly by artists. From May till June in 2017, Cattle Depot is transformed into a public playground for all – young and old, men and women, foreign and local.

Children’s Coast and Canal @泰國
Thailand

土炮遊樂場在2018年9月策劃一項在泰國南部Bangmod Canal 社區的藝術家駐留計劃。計劃旨在帶領一群年輕藝術家以社會營造方式為當地創作概念，開拓一個人與人的互動和認識的遊玩空間。

在這段2個月的駐留時間，藝術家主要探索當地的文化歷史、生活故事，並與當地居民一起研究、策劃、製作。通過遊戲和藝術的方式，利用當地資源和製作技巧，一同創作一個遊玩空間——PlayStation和各式各樣的作品。 Thung Khru是一個人口佔多的近海市鎮，主要以一條長長的河流連接海岸和12個小社區，包括Muslim社群、宗教社群，做小生意的家庭、家長和小朋友等等。在這段駐留期間，我們參觀了近海岸的廟宇、當地的大學、不同小社區，到訪不同社區圑體和居民交流，了解當地的歷史轉變和文化習俗。

我們一共創作了6份作品和一個遊玩空間——PlayStation，透過遊戲的參與性方式，呈現當地的歷史轉變和文化故事。在12月，當地團體The 3rd BCiAPC 舉辦社區創意藝術節，其中亦邀請我們把這段時間的創作過程展示，以及與當地的居民和參與者交流。

In September 2018, Play Depot organised an artist residency program in the Bangmod Canal community in southern Thailand. The project aims to lead a group of young artists to create concepts for the local community in a socially constructive way, and to open up a space for interaction and understanding among people.

During this two-month stay, the artist mainly explored local cultural history and life stories. Through games and art, they researched, planned, and produced with local residents using local resources and production skills, and together they created a play space – PlayStation and a variety of works.

Thung Khru is an offshore town with a large population. With a long river, it connects the coast and 12 small communities, including Muslim communities, religious communities, small family businesses, parents and children, etc. During this period of stay, we visited temples near the coast, local universities, and different small communities. We also visited various social organisations and residents of different communities, and learned about local historical changes and cultural practices.

We created a total of 6 works and a play space – PlayStation, through a participatory way of play, in order to present local historical changes and cultural stories. In December, the local group, The 3rd BCiAPC, held a community creative arts festival, which invited us to show the creative process to local residents and participants.

SimOcean

獲藝術發展局「校園藝術大使計劃」邀請，我們於2018年7月策劃了一項以海洋為主題的參與式創作。我們利用回收紙等物料建構一個豐富多彩的藝術創作場域，並以遊戲和參與藝術實踐的方式，不但讓學生更關心生態保育圴重要性外，亦引導他們對海洋有更多想像和感受。

活動理念沿人物、空間、事件三個主軸發展出來，校園藝術大使會選擇擔任其中一個角色，(創造者、製作者、收集者、潛水員、並於不同樓層的空間(海底、沙灘、地面以及天空等景)，進行一系列與海洋主題有關的創作。活動讓學生運用想像力回應不同的海洋情況和創作遊戲經驗，並鼓勵和其他參加者合作，以遊戲帶出互動及互相感染的氣氛。

Invited by the Arts Ambassadors-in-School Scheme (AAiSS) of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in July 2018, we organised a participatory art programme under the theme of “Ocean.” The project aimed at arousing the participants’ awareness in ecological conservation and inspiring their imagination and feelings about the ocean. Using recycled papers and materials, we transformed the stadium into an imaginary ocean, which provided a conducive setting for collaborative play and art making.

The programme focused on three main elements: characters, space and events. Students had opportunities to roleplay (Creators, Makers, Collectors, Divers, Pirates) and create their own artworks with reference to the different settings of space (Bottom of the sea, beach, land and sky). Through this project, students were tasked to response to different situations and create diverse game experiences. They were also encouraged to co-create, share and inspire others, which provided an interactive, sharing atmosphere to build friendships and understanding among themselves.

社區延伸
Community Engagement

土炮遊樂場在土瓜灣介入社區「玩點」項目，駐留創作人走進社區，街坊鄰里也常聚在牛棚參與項目外，父母非常放心孩子下課趕來玩樂，自由地創造他們的遊戲；街坊梁伯退休後找到他的實驗空間，在牛棚種草藥，分享涼茶外，他自由出入並撿拾社區的物資製作木椅給街坊，解決駐留創作人的製作技術。社區的交往靜靜地開展，並延伸了區外的人參加土炮遊樂場的各樣附屬的工作坊，區外孩子和父母、銀青、女傭，還有在學青年的加入義工團。

海外的社區參與項目，使我們對不同文化社區的的發展脈絡，理解社區實踐在另一空間的政治和經濟發展的社會問題，有機的空間和文化轉變，開拓我們的視野和經驗。

Neighborhoods often gather at the Cattle Depot to participate in the Play-form project organised by Play Depot in To Kwa Wan. Parents are relieved to let their children come to play after school and create their games freely. After retiring, Uncle Leung found his experimental space. In addition to planting herbs in Cattle Depot and sharing herbal tea, he freely went in and picked up materials from the community to make wooden chairs for the neighborhood, solving the production techniques of the resident creators. Communities are quietly extended, and people outside the district participate in various auxiliary workshops at Cattle Depot. Children and parents outside the district, retirees, maids, and youths are joining as volunteers.

Overseas community projects allowed us to understand the context and development of different cultural communities, recognise the different community practices in political and economic development situations, aware of organic spatial and cultural changes, and expand our horizons and experience.