Playground (2026)

///identity.conceptual.play
What comes first, civilisation or play?

Russ Jones and Ace Berry
Playground
Ladbroke Hall

An immersive floral installation in the grounds of Ladbroke Hall

Inspired by the ideas of Johan Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) that play precedes culture rather than following it. The work converts the gardens of Ladbroke Hall into a magic circle where the rules are different.

Comprised of six large scale floral installations reminiscent of childhood: Daydream, Hide, Seek, Campfire, Lockdown and Wild, and three interactive elements; Nature as Playground, scattered poems in the grounds available to read aloud to the plants, who become the audience. Sanctuary as Playground, the conversion of a Jean Prouve Maison Demontable into an immersive mnodern sanctuary for those running away from the city.. and Memory as Playground, where participants leave their notes on how they rememeber play as a child or as an adult.

A collaboration between conceptual artist Russ Jones and floral artist Ace Berry.

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