Hi Marina! I really enjoy the idea of playing with different height in structures and also with distance between teams. This could create some interesting dynamics of play! I’m imagining communication not just with a megaphone, but with body language and symbols to aid (or get in the way of) puzzle solving.
I would think about the knowledge each team has access to, and play with that in interesting ways to have a greater interplay between teams. I think that would be more interesting than one team solving the puzzle on their own and just telling the other team what to do. The teams should need each other to succeed! That could look like hidden information on the side of the taller structure that only the people below can see, or perhaps both teams have activities they need to do in tandem with the other team?
I am looking forward to where you will go next! Thank you!
~ Ally
Hello Bagel + Balloon!
I’ve just finished to read a book about labyrinth and mazes so I’m all immersed on that (Henry Elliot’s Follow this thread) - btw I don’t know if I liked it - anyway!
I really love the idea of a pack or a out-of-the-box maze that could change temporarily the shape and function of a public space, sometimes this kind of devices could become theatrical machines and be the excuse for some sort of street performance as well (this is the wrong example but I love tennis)
Since spaces like the picture above, are strongly functional, in the sense that the majority of people is literally running to catch a train, probably it will need a lot of negotiation in order to block walking flows, or security exit and escape routes, which is a very meaningful conversation to have and raise.
Maybe the other thought that stick with me reading the above mentioned book, is that labyrinth are also a place of illusion and self-discovery. Like we use physical limitation to discover new places inside our mind…so it made me think that the labyrinth is already around us but it’s not physical? Maybe a labyrinth is a mind-space that with the help of your game, we can reach?
In the ARG tradition there is a lot of hidden information, in-plain-sight clue, that could make you enter another layer of reality (The Jejeune Institute)
In term of physical labyrinth I remember a Minotaur game by HideandSeek in a Festival in Edinburgh but I cannot locate the link ;(
Hello @MarinaKy14!
Your starting point is really interesting and reading trough the post I was keeping thinking about the concept of opposites and double.
In term of puzzle you made me think about Tangram (Tangram - Wikipedia), we have a copy here at the lab and one version of it that I think is interesting is similar to the one you are planning, so one person will move the pieces and the other is giving instructions, since the pieces are hard to name, and understand rotation, is a giant exercise on communication and deep listening.
Also, another level of opposite is language in your case, I wonder if these two teams have to communicate in a new random language from the future.
I really love also the idea of having the game playable everywhere there is a difference of height (or problem of communication :))
Hey folks, sorry for coming late to the party. I was caught up in work and viewing apartments.
I will simply go ahead and share some of my notes (in a more orderly fashion) with you. The list of cards is very small still since I haven’t given it much thought yet (and was more collecting stuff I came across and where I felt it was worthy taking a not).
I have not yet scouted a location (I was a bit tight on time and the weather was also extremley bad, that means stormy). The game itself is also quite non-specific in terms of location, so it would be rather a matter of choosing interesting neighbourhoods. I’ll update this post soon.
Synthesis
[catchy title] is a card-toolbox for two (or more) people to playfully explore and reflect the relationship between the participants, and their relationship to their social and urban environment. The cards enable the participants to spontaneously design an adventure to dive into the vibrant everyday life of a city that can last between 1 hour and 4 hours. [catchy title] can be used and played by anybody who likes to walk on the edge of what is regarded as proper behaviour in public space.
Card Ideas
Go on a blindfolded walk
walking backwards
taking pictures
drawing/painting with chalk
rearranging objects
Card Types
places: defines where a part happens
activities: defines what happens
time: defines the duration
focus: defines a focus of a part
Mechanics
Version 1
Meet up.
Shuffle the different piles (each type is one pile).
Each player draws 4 cards of each pile.
Taking turns in playing or discarding a card.
As soon as the layout of the meeting is defined, each part is put in an envelope. Write the number of the part on the envelope.
Knowing the square probably it will be useful to think about a sort of Iconic landmark, that can identify the fact that there is a mini-festival going on, I remember when we did the Basilicata Border Games how crucial was to be visible, open for discussion, criticism and negotiations.
Also it could make sense to think about a weekly or monthly appointment, (sandbox) more then a single shot, having less stress on the single day but allowing yourself to create a community of aficionados (we are doing a Festival vs we meet every week and we play games).
As a vegetarian that was born and raised in the region where we kill the higher number of pigs in Italy, - w the result of one the best selection of charcuterie in the world - I love the concept of tasting multiple things at once, and I’m grateful that instead of meat we will have small bites of fun!
I like the word “meeting” a lot, maybe is part of you [catchy title]?
If you’re interested here is a repository (in Italian but Google Translate could help you) of almost 400 urban tasks that the community of CriticalCity Upload developed along the course of 5 years.
But I love the level of randomness that your design has, I think it make the experience easier to enter and every time unique.
Thank you for your feedback and the ressource. My Italian is very basic, so I will probably find a friend who can help me translate (in case I don’t get far with algorithmic translations).
I really like what you have here! I think this is a great start to a fun experience with friends.
What stands out right away as a concern is the idea of a blindfolded walk. In a city, this could be disastrous, but I like the concept! I would be sure to include safety guidelines and perhaps even tell the other players to walk around the blindfolded player to make sure they don’t get themselves hurt.
Other than that, I think you are on to something! I am interesting in seeing the type of activities you come up with.
thank you @awhitney for your comment. I agree with you that I need to think on how there can be more involvement of both teams so that to avoid that the one simply follows the instructions of the other. There is indeed the possibility of providing different information to the teams that will be hidden from one another and create an interdependence between them in order to advance in the game.
Hi @matteo_uguzzoni ! Thank you a lot for your comment, I love the reference of Tangram and you are right that it would be more fun to give instruction on how to rotate them since they are all so different. And it has that symbolic aspect of juxtaposing different/opposite things to solve the puzzle.
I also love your comment about the language/communication barrier… It is indeed one of the inspirations for me. Here you can see I project I co-facilitated with the Urban Gorillas, a collective I am a member of: In-communicado Project
Could you provide more information on the concept of opposites and double?
Hello! I think your ides is super interesting because is a collaborative game that manage to have one team separated between two opposite (one with the solution the other without, one on the ground the other on a rooftop) so this what I meant by opposite.
At the same time this opposite are attracted by the game, they are working together, like in physics, in the difference you have union, and this is very poetic.
Also the idea evoke in me the idea of double, you have a representation of a puzzle and then you have the reality made of the same object but maybe oversized, this is also a category that seems pervading.
And the way you describe Nicosia, it made me think about this as well.
I have a question for you especially regarding the last picture, what are the relationship between for example, a passerby under that wall and a guard above it? On the ground level what is the kind of negotiation that happens in these liminal spaces?
Hello B+B - cool that you are making mock-ups. Maybe my brain is short, but I cant see what the two colours symbolise. Is it the border of the maze? Or indicated path?
Location - the idea of train station - I find it excellent - it is true that there are many people in hurry, but also many who are only waiting and might be more appealed and motivated to take part in.
I like Matteo´s link - the flash action, kind of performance in busy places. Spontaneous installation.
your idea sounds interesting. With the city like yours, it looks very inspiring. It makes me think about the size of your puzzle, more specifically about some large scale puzzle that might stay in a particular spot as an installation reminding your game. Participative art sculpture piece?
my post will be short today (i am unexpectedly indisposed, accept my apologise). I described the location in a separate post - Research, Framework, Network - the Pocket Park in Ouagadougou
I maintain still the same idea of location. We are advancing with some technical intervention in the area to avoid flooding (it is kind of improvised, the townhall is rather passive (or overloaded with other priorities) - so we have put some earth and rammed it - to the place where we would like to install the “TiP” structures in June).
I am sketching some alternative urban furniture (playful permanent structures not necessarily considered as playgrounds) - I will send you pictures when possible.
The major feature of the design is that it should be resistant. The children in Ouagadougou are usually very energetic, their way of playing is really intense - the swings last year that we have installed are already broken. The design should be also simple and clear - not very sophisticate details or unusual modes of use… hmmm
Hey Fran and Kai,
You probably know about this… there is an artwork called ‘Labyrinth’ by Mark Wallinger that spans all of London’s underground stations. It’s like a giant labyrinth of labyrinths, or a treasure hunt – each of the 274 stations has a different labyrinth hidden in it for people to find and play with. This video is a really good overview of it and also includes a lot of theory about labyrinths and their relation to London’s train network https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9P9opuZvxM … if you don’t have 30 mins to spare, there’s a shorter description on the Art on the Underground site.
Maybe there’s some link or starting point that could be taken from this?
Hey @BagelandBalloon
Sorry for the labyrinth spam, but here are some more labyrinths you might be interested in…
Hey Marina, I was thinking about your question of how to give prompts visible in different spaces without necessarily needing to rely on digital technology/smartphones… it made me think of semaphore, which uses coloured flags to convey information over distances. Flags of course also have a huge relationship with borders – something to be careful with so as not to stir up conflict – but perhaps it could be nice to use flags for productive communication and working together rather than separation, occupation and ownership.
Hi everyone, really sorry to miss the last meeting without any warning. I was travelling and I thought the place I would be would have internet, but it was super rural and I had no phone signal or wifi, whoops!
I was thinking about the differences in interactions when walking in the city and in rural places – I’ve always loved the camaraderie of walkers in the countryside, who always say hello to every stranger they (we) pass, and how this doesn’t happen in the same way in urban space. I like to repurpose familiar games or their mechanics when I create new games, so that people encountering them have a sense of familiarity or continuation from the outset. I had the idea of reimagining snakes and ladders in order to explore urban space and interactions, that could create a derive through any city (like the techniques the Situationists used, but with more of a sense of being part and engaged with the place and its people, rather than a spectator).
snake
—
ladder
—
city
Start: fly-posted sheet in public space with snake/ladder image and stickers containing the following instructions:
To reach the highest point in the city:
take a sticker and start walking
if you see a ladder or steps, say hello to the next person you pass
if they respond, you may ask for help to get to the highest point and/or continue walking
if they ignore you, change direction
if you see a snake image, walk back the way you came
when you think you are at the highest point you can reach, leave this sticker
The idea is this could be played in any place. Lisbon is a city that really lends itself to it, as it is so hilly. High points don’t just have to be just hills though – I’d love it if players ended up talking to people living in high buildings to get invited into high up flats/rooftops. The game could be played as energetically (climbing buildings, trees etc.) or as sedately (a wander around a city, looking at it carefully and meeting people) as a player likes.
