Come Play!
CHILDREN EVERYWHERE is an art and research project conducted by children and an interdisciplinary team of professionals, exploring the concept of childhood foreignness. Its main goal is to shed light on and examine the obstacles encountered by children in today's society, providing them with a platform to express their experiences and concerns artistically.
A group of migrant children from Lisbon, accompanied by Venetian children, publicly showcased their newly designed street games as part of the 0+ HAPPENING during the pre-opening of the Venice Art Biennale 2024, whose theme was Foreigners Everywhere.
The happening was preceded by a research and design program that focuses on street games, exploring them as a generic language understood by all. The new games are featured in the Game Catalog for the Venice Art Biennale 2024.
The project was undertaken by the Architectural Thinking School for Children, which works with migrant children in Lisbon.
The project was undertaken by the Architectural Thinking School for Children, which works with migrant children in Lisbon.
For three days in a row on Garibaldi Street, we held a happening that looked quite simple from the outside: a group of children playing on the street with passersby.
What's behind this?
What's behind this?
Nine migrant children with their families, coming from different countries — Belarus, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, Portugal — explored how outdoor games as a phenomenon can bring people together and how the city space can be reclaimed for children. This is what our project Bambini Ovunque is.
Garibaldi Street
For half a year we, migrant curators and children, developed the project, researching with students of our Architectural Thinking School for Children the game as a phenomena in culture, philosophy, its different types from sport games to virtual. And in the end, we've developed our XXI century own outdoor games to present it as a happening during the Venice Art Biennale.
Curators and artists from the official Venice Art Biennale program observed us on via Garibaldi with interest, interacted with the children, and learned about the details of the project. And their children played with us too.
The most hospitable reception to our games came from the Venetians of different generations themselves.
Curators and artists from the official Venice Art Biennale program observed us on via Garibaldi with interest, interacted with the children, and learned about the details of the project. And their children played with us too.
The most hospitable reception to our games came from the Venetians of different generations themselves.
"You've returned to the city what used to be normal; children used to play all along Garibaldi"
recalled an elderly Venetian woman with a smile and joy in her eyes.
Paolo Monti. Venice, 1974
Our idea was to create a happening without boundaries or frameworks, running in parallel to the official opening program of the Biennale, giving the opportunity for students of our Architectural Thinking School for Children to implement our joint project-research on games Bambini Ovunque. We introduced them to contemporary art, helping them understand that any city can belong to them, to the children. And Biennale as well.
Austrian Pavilion
"Through our games, I met new people, even Italians. And it turns out, this was my first real business trip"
says project participant Phillip, aged 12, reflecting on his experience.
"For many years the conviction has grown upon me that civilization arises and unfolds in and as play."
― Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture
Dialogue
instead of a Manifesto
Characters
Mat: Mat. Child
Tim: Tim. Child
Peter: Peter. Child
Zoia: Zoia. Child
Alexander: Alexander Novikov. Curator of the BAMBINI OVUNQUE
Elena: Elena Karpilova. Curator of the BAMBINI OVUNQUE
Adriano: Adriano Pedrosa. Curator of the 2024 Venice Art Biennale
Aristotle: Aristotle. Greek philosopher
Campanella: Tommaso Campanella. Italian philosopher and theologian
Golding: William Golding. British novelist and playwright
Rousseau: Jean-Jacques Rousseau. French-Swiss philosopher and writer
Socrates: Socrates. Greek philosopher
Ariès: Philippe Ariès. French medieval historian
deMause: Lloyd deMause. American psychoanalyst and social historian
Huizinga: Johan Huizinga. Dutch historian
Kohl: Soleil Kohl. Founder of Big Kid Kindergarten — kindergarten for grown ups
Gadamer: Hans-Georg Gadamer. German philosopher
Postman: Neil Postman. American writer and educator
Fink: Eugen Fink. German philosopher
Bourriaud: Nicolas Bourriaud, author of the concept of Relational art
Wolf: Wolf Rilla, режиссер
Bruegel: Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Dutch artist
Mat: Mat. Child
Tim: Tim. Child
Peter: Peter. Child
Zoia: Zoia. Child
Alexander: Alexander Novikov. Curator of the BAMBINI OVUNQUE
Elena: Elena Karpilova. Curator of the BAMBINI OVUNQUE
Adriano: Adriano Pedrosa. Curator of the 2024 Venice Art Biennale
Aristotle: Aristotle. Greek philosopher
Campanella: Tommaso Campanella. Italian philosopher and theologian
Golding: William Golding. British novelist and playwright
Rousseau: Jean-Jacques Rousseau. French-Swiss philosopher and writer
Socrates: Socrates. Greek philosopher
Ariès: Philippe Ariès. French medieval historian
deMause: Lloyd deMause. American psychoanalyst and social historian
Huizinga: Johan Huizinga. Dutch historian
Kohl: Soleil Kohl. Founder of Big Kid Kindergarten — kindergarten for grown ups
Gadamer: Hans-Georg Gadamer. German philosopher
Postman: Neil Postman. American writer and educator
Fink: Eugen Fink. German philosopher
Bourriaud: Nicolas Bourriaud, author of the concept of Relational art
Wolf: Wolf Rilla, режиссер
Bruegel: Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Dutch artist
Alexander Novikov
Curator of the BAMBINI OVUNQUE
Elena Karpilova
Curator of the BAMBINI OVUNQUE
Adriano Pedrosa
Curator of the 2024 Venice Art Biennale
Aristotle
Greek philosopher
Tommaso Campanella
Italian philosopher and theologian
William Golding
British novelist and playwright
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Philosopher and writer
Socrates
Philosopher
Philippe Ariès
French medieval historian
Lloyd deMause
American psychoanalyst and social historian
Johan Huizinga
Dutch historian
Soleil Kohl
создательница Big Kid Kindergarten — детского сада для взрослых в Шотландии
Hans-Georg Gadamer
German philosopher
Neil Postman
American writer and educator
Eugen Fink
German philosopher
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Part I. Article 1
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Dutch artist
Mat
Child
Tim
Child
It is clear to me. Children are "underdeveloped" beings who, due to their underdevelopment, cannot think correctly or logically. Therefore, they cannot be happy. What children are we talking about?!
Right, right, a child is just the beginning of the development of a "normal" human, and they fully belong to the state. Once they grow up and are raised, they will become outstanding citizens who contribute to the welfare of their state.
Peter Brook
«Lord of the Flies»
1963 г.
«Lord of the Flies»
1963 г.
Oh come on, children are capable of creating their own state. Not worse... but not better than the real one.
If only we could turn children into adults faster... Why is that? You constantly seek an adult in a child, without considering what they were before becoming adults. Humanity has its place in the universal order, and childhood also has its place in the universal order.
Oh, leave it be, they cannot, I tell you, they cannot be full-fledged individuals and citizens!
Not only that, they have become tyrants! They don't stand up when an elderly person enters the room, they talk back to their parents. In simple terms, they are very naughty...
Oh, of course, it's children we're talking about. How many such adults are there? Why do you, philosophers who lived 2000 years ago, still have an influence? Why even divide society into children and adults? Everything is relative, dear Socrates and Aristotle, much has changed after you. Throughout all times following you, the concept of "childhood" has been perceived very differently...
I confirm. Moreover, not only society, but parents have always treated their child differently, from the desire to get rid of them, continuing with the idea of strict discipline through punishments, and ending with the approach of assistance, which is relevant today. Today's child is fortunate: their parents listen and understand them, encouraging their interests!
Wolf Rilla
«Village of the Damned»
1960 г.
«Village of the Damned»
1960 г.
Yes, but at the same time, the image of a child in culture is almost always the image of an alien. At best. And if we remember cinema: "Bad Blood," "The Exorcist," "Children of the Corn"... Adults, due to their lack of understanding of the child, seem to want to give them the image of something otherworldly and frightening.
Плум:
And when did we actually start calling a child a child?
Ladies and gentlemen, let me intervene, it's all very simple. We settled this long ago, 30 years ago to be precise. A child is defined as every human being below the age of 18 unless, under the law applicable to the child, they attain majority earlier. We represent over 190 states from all over the world, so we believe our opinion on this matter is indeed correct.
Really? Are we equating it to a specific age of 18? It seems to me that childhood is a social artifact rather than a biological category. Consider this: our genes do not contain clear instructions on who is a child and who is not.
Плум:
I agree, we are indeed not talking about biology, but something broader here.
Let's go back 400 years, for example, there was no such convention, but children still existed. However, there was no separate world of childhood then. Children and adults had the same games, toys, and stories. They lived together, never separately. On one hand, of course, all those iconic images of the Virgin Mary with the infant in her arms, where we definitely won't confuse who the child is. On the other hand, the crowded paintings of Bruegel, in which the real reality is reflected. Just look closely: children dance, have fun together with adults, do absolutely the same things as adults. A child-"not-yet-an-adult" is the same as an adult.
Let's go back 400 years, for example, there was no such convention, but children still existed. However, there was no separate world of childhood then. Children and adults had the same games, toys, and stories. They lived together, never separately. On one hand, of course, all those iconic images of the Virgin Mary with the infant in her arms, where we definitely won't confuse who the child is. On the other hand, the crowded paintings of Bruegel, in which the real reality is reflected. Just look closely: children dance, have fun together with adults, do absolutely the same things as adults. A child-"not-yet-an-adult" is the same as an adult.
Yes, yes! By the way, I also studied the iconography of the Middle Ages and am convinced that in those times, a child was considered a little adult.
Truly, wonders indeed! You look at it, and they are all alike.
But the differences between an adult and a child are internal. One can say that an adult knows about certain aspects of life - its secrets, contradictions, cruelty, tragedies, while children do not, and it is considered better for them not to know about it.
But the differences between an adult and a child are internal. One can say that an adult knows about certain aspects of life - its secrets, contradictions, cruelty, tragedies, while children do not, and it is considered better for them not to know about it.
Oh, the reality of adult life... Moral and political decisions, the burden of work, the intensity of the struggle, responsibility for oneself and loved ones. It's as if only a child has the right to play, spend hours in carefree joy, and squander time in vain...
Oh no, Mr. Eugene, come visit me at my kindergarten. I created it especially for adults. You can play there, draw, and build towers with blocks.
Oh, I wish my dad could go there, he's always working... He has two jobs, and even when he eats, he's always on the phone! Maybe we should send him to the kindergarten...
Big Kid Kindergarten
Oh, no, my boy, playing truly and in the real sense of the word is only for children. In adult life, there are only hints of childhood, unattainable attempts at "recreation"... Or is play still the main phenomenon for other ages as well?
I see, they started talking about play here! But this is my domain. Play, my dear Eugene, is undoubtedly for all ages; it is a function imbued with meaning. It is older than culture; it precedes culture; it creates culture!
To be continued ...
Architectural Thinking School for Children
The project is undertaken by the Architectural Thinking School, a think tank composed of children and an interdisciplinary team of professionals. The school operates at the intersection of experimental pedagogy and a wide range of disciplines, using architectural thinking as a tool to promote a child as a full-fledged participant in the adult world.
The School was founded in 2016 in Minsk by architect Alexander Novikov and art historian and designer Elena Karpilova as an institution of supplementary education with an innovative approach to teaching. In 2022, due to the onset of the war, the school relocated to Portugal and now and works in Lisbon with children aged 5 to 15, the majority of whom are migrants.
In 2022, the School was awarded with the Inspire Future Generations Award (Thornton Education Trust) as the Best International Organisation for its contribution to architectural education and work with migrant communities.
The School was founded in 2016 in Minsk by architect Alexander Novikov and art historian and designer Elena Karpilova as an institution of supplementary education with an innovative approach to teaching. In 2022, due to the onset of the war, the school relocated to Portugal and now and works in Lisbon with children aged 5 to 15, the majority of whom are migrants.
In 2022, the School was awarded with the Inspire Future Generations Award (Thornton Education Trust) as the Best International Organisation for its contribution to architectural education and work with migrant communities.
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