Arts & Culture Community

“The Shape of Play” Art Installation Opens at Columbus Park

The Shape of Play, a new public art exhibit by Sari Carel, is now on display at Christopher Columbus Park on Boston’s North End Waterfront.

Commissioned by the Jewish Arts Collaborative (JArts) and curated and produced by Now + There, this temporary art installation features an ambient multi-channel soundtrack and sculptures made of pieces reflective of children’s wooden building blocks. The exhibit poses the question: Do you feel free to play? and invites visitors to reflect on the connections between play and the universal search for freedom.

In the short time lapse above, you can watch the design and creation process. The team studied the sounds and structures of neighborhood playgrounds, and then used tones, textures, shapes, and rhythms to conjure the playfulness, nostalgia, and life-affirming experiences that are often connected with these play spaces.

The exhibit is on display September 4 through October 31, 2020 on the lawn between the rose garden and the trellis. The sixteen-minute soundscape plays daily, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM, twice an hour.

Read more about the artwork and the artist at www.nowandthere.org/shapeofplay.

One Wednesday, September 9 at 12 PM, there will be an online conversation, moderated by Laura Mandel from JArt and featuring artist Sari Carel and N+T assistant curator, Leah Triplett Harrington.

This webinar will feature a discussion of Sari’s process, why she’s so interested in sound, and the intertwined relationship between freedom and play. Sari will share her recording and music-making processes as we explore the ability of “sound” to engage people across backgrounds and languages. Plus, hear the stories behind the shapes in The Shape of Play, and consider the connections between abstraction, childhood development, play, and freedom.

Read more and register here.