**A note - I wrote the majority of the words to this post back in 2018 but never got round to adding the pictures. So just as a little look back (and because I'd already spent time writing it), for what it's worth, here it is. :-) **
Back in 2016 I think, the lovely Sarah Rooftops mentioned that she'd visited an exhibition/playground up in Aberdeen - The Brutalist Playground.
I thought "sounds interesting", enjoyed reading Sarah's thoughts and then left it as that.
Fast forward a year to 2017 and a poster pops up at the arts centre at my workplace - the very same playground, here, for the whole summer, and only a 10 minute walk from my desk. What are the chances of that?
Me and Lily promptly signed up for the first session of the summer to see what it was all about, on 28th June 2017 (4 years ago today). A week or so later I had an email saying that instead of a quiet opening, they were having a launch breakfast with free food and speeches from the architects - which we were both invited to!
We ended up visiting the exhibition about 12 times - we had to take various friends and family on different occasions so they could all have a go too.
How to describe the playground? Well, imagine lots of large shapes made out of foam or covered with foam (which represents concrete) set on a padded floor and surrounded by wall projections of the brutalist playgrounds of the post-war period.
It's fascinating to think that playgrounds years ago were often made with concrete and metal; I can remember concrete tunnels at some of my local playgrounds and of course, as a child you didn't give any thought to getting injured. I can't imagine any sort of places being built like that nowadays.
The whole exhibition was very well done and all very good fun - there's not a lot I can really say about it other than if it ever comes to your area, it's well worth a visit! It's usually free and although it's all a bit surreal, it's good entertainment and definitely something that kids (and adults) will enjoy.
