By Zan
The blog for the Shop of Possibilities has been one of my favourite blogs ever since I found it about a year ago. The updates aren’t regular, but the photos are always fascinating, and gives a little glimpse into the life of a possible world. So imagine now how very excited I was that a visit to the South London Gallery for a play symposium involved going to visit the Shop of Possibilities!
Here are a few images from the shop:
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| Curiosity really does help in play! |
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| This tape has provided much fun and before we visitors knew it, we were surrounded by it! |
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| I bet this sign is out all the time, but everyone already knows when it’s open, and that the space is theirs. |
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| Look at all those symposium adults in one small space. |
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| That’s right, you can hammer in the Shop of Possibilities. Or screw stuff to stuff. As well as lots of other things! |
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| I was really interested to see the room in the back. It’s less open, and less active. Almost like a secret space for those moments in play where you need that quiet moment. |
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| Children have been here. |
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| Look how busy it was! |
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| Tape, tape, everywhere. |
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| So colourful, and so immersed. |
This is a space in the heart of a community. Ran by South London Gallery and staffed by playworkers, children have taken this space as their own and are able to decide what happens, in what way, and for whatever reason they want. That folks, is the definition of the play process in the eyes of a playworker: “freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated” (Playwork Principles). To have that observed in an otherwise unused shop space as a sustainable project is wonderful. From our experiences in our own Pop-Up Play Shop, we know how difficult it can be to do, but also how rewarding the whole process is.
I’m very excited to see how the Shop of Possibilities develops in the future, and very much look forward to working with them in the future.
To find out more about Zan’s adventures, please visit her blog. For more information about Pop-Up Adventure Play, please visit our website or like us on Facebook.