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PLAY HOUSE "And one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages." William Shakespeare Play house refers not just to a toy structure which children play inside but also to the idea of playing at being adult, pretending, mimicking and making believe that you are someone or something else. A playhouse is another word for a theatre, so this section also refers to the drama of life and particularly of childhood, which informs our 'grown-up' selves. Play in the form of pretence or make believe, begins very early in childhood, as children begin to learn through copying the behavior they see around them. Sometimes this involves simulation, practicing modes of adult activity - playing 'Mummies and Daddies' for instance. Sometimes it involves trying out different characters or acting out imaginary scenarios, influenced as much by the myths and icons of popular culture as by 'real life' experience. Playing to learn and playing for pleasure are interrelated processes of discovery, vital to human social and personal development. Playing can also be about power. Whether we play with toys or people there is often a struggle for control which results in a player exercising power over a playmate or plaything. In some cases this can lead to cruelty, at which point play (for the disempowered one) probably ceases to be fun. Artist Paula Rego's work illustrates the games people play with each other in life. Whether her models are adults, children or animals her pictures explore both the joy and exhuberance of playfulness, and its darker, more manipulative side. |
Paula Rego - Two girls and a Dog, 1987[1] |
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DISCUSS RESEARCH BRAINSTORM DESCRIBE COMPARE |
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Wendy
McMurdo - 'Ben with Mask, Summerfield', 1997[1] |
"...don't
play what's there...play what's not there!"
Play applies as much to thought and the imagination as it does to physical activities. As children many of us have an imaginary friend - a person, animal or creature who we play with and talk to, even though no-one else can see them. As we get older we usually grow out of this, but sometimes we talk to ourselves instead (in private of course!). These inner conversations may be in response to doubt, fear or anger, or they might be related to something pleasurable - a day-dream or fantasy. Through both physical and mental absorption we become 'lost' in play. In psychological terms our unconscious selves are the thoughts, feelings and impulses which we supress, perhaps because they are socially unacceptable, or because they are personally painful. In moments of anxiety, pleasure or mischief the unconcious can break out - with surprising or embarrassing results! These other hidden sides of ourselves have been referred to in many ways throughout different cultures. The masked figures of Carnival, the Doppelgänger of German folklore, the literary creations of Dr Jeckel and Mr Hyde, and the film 'Gremlins' are all manifestations of this. Wendy McMurdo uses digital photography to play with some of these ideas about fantasy and reality, disguise and self-discovery and the hidden self, psychoanalytically speaking . Earlier this century the Surrealist and Dadaist art movements were very interested in these ideas. Other artists who have more recently explored this area are: |
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