Now open: The Playground Project Melbourne welcomes young – and young at heart! – audiences this school holidays

Ready, set, play! Moonee Valley City Council is thrilled to announce that trailblazing international exhibition The Playground Project Melbourne is now open to the public at Incinerator Gallery.

For the next four months, the Australian-first exhibition will delight Melbourne audiences by bringing to life the history of the humble playground, from the 1930s until today.

Large-scale playground installations, inside and outside the gallery space, will provide an immersive experience for young visitors. Designed by Melbourne-based BoardGrove Architects, the exhibition will also examine the way designers, educators and planners have come together to create playgrounds where children can gather, learn and grow.

It’s the perfect family outing this school holidays.

This travelling exhibition comes 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, which will remain in MVCC for children to play on after the exhibition concludes. MVCC has also commissioned a brand-new First Nations Playable Public Art sculpture by Edwina Green, that will take up permanent residence alongside the mighty Maribyrnong river.

To complement the exhibition, Incinerator Gallery is offering a range of programs, including:

• a series of Incinerator x MADA Talks, with the next instalment on July 4
• workshops crafted for babies, children, and teens, and
• art club, sketching group and Incinerator history tours.

Mayor of Moonee Valley City Council, 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. “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 exhibition’s guest curator, accomplished Swiss urban planner and political scientist Gabriela Burkhalter, says this is set to be a uniquely Australian iteration of the Playground Project.

“The Playground Project in Melbourne celebrates the importance of children’s play while reimagining the design of our public spaces and neighbourhoods,” Burkhalter said.

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).

More information is available at playgroundproject.com.au