The idea of play was discussed numerous times during our class with Julia Jacquette. What I thought was incredibly interesting is the way play has fundamentally changed over the ages. Certainly the digital age has shifted what it means to play – it might not necessarily mean going outside always, for example. However, I felt that Jacquette’s drawings of playgrounds could still be useful in todays world. Even if the use of media and video games is more than the past, playgrounds still become a central place for many kids – and her interpretations of playgrounds allows them to fit not only in her context of Manhattan, but most any park or playground.
Her explanation of how children are very perceptive to architecture was also intriguing. We don’t often think too much of how different buildings make us feel – but even our own Hamilton campus portrays a wide variety of structures. Milbank, with its large windows and imposing concrete blocks looks nothing like the classical feel of Root Hall’s white columns out front. I thought Julia’s murals engaged in a juxtaposition between the abstract and the making of social commentary on the power of magazines and media in general. To just look at the murals without any background, one might presume it is simply a ver cool abstract mural. With added context, the murals take on a whole new meaning and allow the viewer to see multiple levels of context in the mural.
