The Playground Project Melbourne

The Playground Project Melbourne is an interactive, international travelling exhibition with a playground takeover.

It explores a unique chapter of late 19th century to early 21st century art, design, urbanism and activism; and strives to inspire local audiences, children, students, city planners, artists and designers to imagine a bright and brilliant future for play and playground design.

Unlike any other exhibition, young visitors are invited to climb, crawl, fall and imagine their way through a whimsical and colourful exhibition display and interact with the magical playgrounds that sit at the heart of this project and takeover the Incinerator Gallery's indoor and outdoor spaces. An ambitious program of educational and public events over 22 weeks will foster community engagement, art and design exploration, and inspire children to live, learn and play creatively in our parks, cities and suburbs.

A brief history
The last 150 years have witnessed four phases in the art and development of playground design. The first, dating from 1880, saw social reformers take children off the streets and onto playgrounds. The second, going strong during the 1930s, nurtured the belief - especially in Scandinavia - that children play best in a natural setting. From 1968 onwards, local community groups and creative collectives began to build their own playgrounds fuelled by a sense of self-empowerment and the proliferation of self-help books. The fourth phase, launched by the economic challenges and reforms of the 1980s, heralded the decline of utopian thought in art and design, and the state's role as commissioner and caretaker of playgrounds in urban spaces. This onset of a crisis in urban planning and playground design continues even today to challenge communities across many cultures, languages, social systems, economic and political realities worldwide.

The exhibition brings together carefully selected photographs, videos, archival materials and texts of key case-studies from Continental Europe, United Kingdom, America, Asia, Africa and Australia. They are featured alongside three playground displays, where kids are invited to kinetically engage with the ideas and enjoy real-time play and interaction.

Curated by Gabriela Burkhalter

Exhibition design by BoardGrove Architects

28 June 2025 - 12 October 2025
Curator: Gabriela Burkhalter
Location: Incinerator Gallery

Children aged 12 and under are FREE with an accompanying adult.
Adults from $20

Humanitix.com


Happens: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Time: Wednesday to Saturday 11am to 4pm



 Incinerator Gallery View Venue
 180 Holmes Road, Aberfeldie  Moonee Ponds Victoria 3039 Map

Advertiser: incineratorgallery.com.au

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