Kerstin Kjellin Larsson

Can we, through children’s participation and play, use public space to manifest children’s rights? The right to life, the right to play. I have explored how small means and simple methods can promote play and spatial transformation in areas affected by war or crisis. The focus of the project has been to design for increased opportunities for play, playfulness, and social interaction, with the aim of temporarily transforming environments that are not adapted for children into more inviting spaces. Using imagery inspired by flora and fauna, children are given the opportunity to create their own worlds in places with limited access to safe play environments. The project acts as a tool that enables children to easily construct and shape spatiality in their local surroundings. By applying the concept within an existing emergency response system such as Better Shelter, the project creates opportunities to quickly and easily reach more children and thereby spreading the potential for play and placemaking.