Australian-first The Playground Project transforms Incinerator Gallery into interactive play space

Moonee Valley City Council is proud to announce The Playground Project, a trailblazing international exhibition connecting society through art and design and making its southern hemisphere debut at Incinerator Gallery in Melbourne from 28 June to 12 October 2025. The Australian iteration is commissioned by MVCC and incorporates visionary local case-studies in dialogue with leading international playground ideas and designs, alongside three new site-specific installations.

Use code EARLYBIRD at checkout for 25% off limited release tickets. 

Already a hit in Europe, the UK and the US, this Australian-first exhibition charts the history of the playground and how it has long acted as an open-air laboratory for artists, architects, activists, landscapers and city planners to collaborate on innovative and educational design. Celebrating and inspiring ways children engage and interact in our local suburbs, this project is commissioned to offer a fun and thought-provoking social experience for families and design enthusiasts alike.

This travelling exhibition has come direct from the Kunsthalle Zürich and has had major presentations at Carnegie International in Pittsburgh, Baltic in Newcastle, Garden of Unaccompanied Children at Serra dei Giardini in Venice, German Museum of Architecture in Frankfurt, Konsthall in Lund and more.

In a major coup for Melbourne, Incinerator Gallery has acquired the Lozziwurm Playground by Yvan Pestalozzi (1972/2016, pictured above). Resembling a winding worm or serpent, the structure encourages children to climb, slide, and explore its curving intestines. The Lozziwurm illustrates Pestalozzi’s interest in blending art with play while fostering social interaction and physical engagement. Incinerator Gallery is thrilled to acquire this significant playground, which will remain in Moonee Valley for children to play on after the exhibition concludes.

Guest curator Gabriela Burkhalter, an accomplished Swiss urban planner and political scientist, together with director and project’s original commissioner Daniel Baumann of Kunsthalle Zürich, will transform the Incinerator Gallery into a children’s play takeover, with a uniquely Australian iteration.

Led by Melbourne-based architects and exhibition designers, BoardGrove Architects, visitors can expect a blend of innovative design with participatory installations, creating a playground experience that engages children in physical play and also fosters social interaction and connection.

Several large-scale playground installations, inside and outside the gallery space, will provide an immersive experience for young visitors. The exhibition examines rich ideas and key examples of playground design from the 1930s to the 1990s, aiming to inspire us today.

To commemorate the landmark exhibition, MVCC is also undertaking a brand-new, First Nations Playable Public Art Commission, that will take up permanent residence inside the municipality at the conclusion of the exhibition.

Gabriela Burkhalter, exhibition curator, said:

“The Playground Project in Melbourne celebrates the importance of children’s play while reimagining the design of our public spaces and neighbourhoods. Renowned for promoting adventure playgrounds as the original form of self-determined play, I eagerly anticipate the upcoming reveal. Play is vital everywhere, and I am excited that the Lozziwurm—the legendary, oversized looming play sculpture—will soon find a new home in Melbourne, and welcome all children, big and small, who wish to engage with it.”

The Playground Project is an exhibition where creativity, play, and art collide to transform public space into a vibrant cultural experience. Mayor of Moonee Valley City Council, Councillor Ava Adams said:

“Playgrounds are the setting of formative childhood experiences, and we are proud to spotlight the creative and social forces that shape them. Local government has long been a leader when it comes to creating playgrounds where children can develop their physicality, creativity and social skills, and Moonee Valley is no exception. With The Playground Project, the City of Moonee Valley is reaching a new generation of art and design lovers and their families. This world-class exhibition is the perfect fit for our Incinerator Gallery, a contemporary arts space that belongs to the whole community – young and old.”

The Playground Project is proudly presented with support from Major Partner Jellis Craig and Jellis Craig Foundation, and Education Partner, Monash Art, Design and Architecture (MADA).

Professor Mel Dodd, Dean of MADA, is looking forward to the opportunities this project will bring:

“We’re excited to be partnering with the Incinerator Gallery and Moonee Valley City Council. As urban areas become more populated, the need for cleverly designed inclusive and sustainable public play spaces is critical. We’re looking forward to bringing our faculty’s unique collective creative expertise and capability in art, design, architecture and urban planning to this collaboration.”

The First Nations Playable Public Art Commission is presented by MVCC in partnership with Agency Projects. Details of the community and school programs will be released in the coming months, as well as public programs and other project collaborators. The exhibition catalogue will be available for purchase at Incinerator Gallery.

More information is available at playgroundproject.com.au

Media enquiries:

Mark Kearney, Media Lead
Mobile: 0447 198 653
Email: media@mvcc.vic.gov.au

Deveta Patel Everett, Coordinator, Communications
Mobile: 0416 487 886
Email: dpatel@mvcc.vic.gov.au