This project aims at addressing playgrounds and their utilization in current urban scenarios, in developing and under-developed countries. It experiments with digital technology to re-create a play space wherein children can actively engage with each other and the space utilizing upon a unique medium of play. As playgrounds have traditionally always been situated within a natural habitat or environment, this further reinforces the concept of developing the idea- based on something closely related to nature. Working around notions related to nature, music and how can children play around them; conceptualized [Nature re Play]; an immersive environment making use of interactive digital media in both real urban settings and performing arts.

Nature rePlay takes off from the idea of human connectedness, of which a playground has always been a lively and networked model, in the built environment. Just as in a playground there are various mediums of play such as swings, see-saws, slides, merry-go-rounds etc., this immersive play-space is about people-centric play with pendulums as the prop and medium. The interaction design took advantage of the mobile physical qualities of a pendulum, and the human input required to bring these movements and interventions. The harmonic motion and collisions of each pendulum were used to generate a layered sound field and corresponding geometrical transformations of a leaf.

This project was done in collaboration with Mansie Verma as our graduation project to obtain a degree of M.Sc. in Design and Digital Media from the University of Edinburgh.

For more on this project please read:

Bazlamit, R. and Verma, M. (2007). Nature rePlay: an immersive installation. Proceedings of Embodying Virtual Architecture. Alexandria, Egypt: 571-586.