Research Trip

Back from my “research trip” to Shambala and I’ve learned a lot. Firstly adults love to dress up. At a festival like Shambala there’s no end to sequins, face paint and homemade costumes. The second is that adults like to game, they just have to feel like they’re in a safe environment. Gaming company Foul Play brought their game Fox Hunt  to the festival and it certainly seemed to go down well.

Source: http://foxhunt.foulplayproductions.co.uk/

Adults and children alike played side by side to hunt each other down. Even people commented on how they would like to join in, but had already consumed too much cider to start running around! This is exactly why I think we should be running a few street based games at the event.

Watching events unfold at the family fun festival really highlighted what we are trying to produce with Fun Palace. A little bit of enthusiasm from both the production team and the audience could go a long way in making the event successful. This leads to the important task of advertising. Who are our audience, where do we find them and how do we attract them? As Fun Palaces is a new event how do we explain it’s purpose without drawing on past experiences. A tag line perhaps? “Its like a party in space, in a place for you to explore.”

After a 4 hour meeting with Fred Iles we have decided that no Fun Palace should be complete without a space themed den to hold workshops in. After going through the public’s initial ideas, building something large and playful seems like a popular choice. 

A DIY architecture day to make new palaces or dens within the building, creating temporary walls and secret places within Watershed to work and play in

Permission to do the things you weren’t allowed to do as a child e.g. draw on the walls, unlock doors not ordinarily open to the public

Inspiring people to transform their own homes, workplaces, schools into Fun Palaces when they leave

A ‘time tunnel’ in the covered walkway outside Watershed, taking you further back/forward in time as you walk through

Source: https://www.watershed.co.uk/pmstudio/news/2014/06/19/everyone-and-artist-everyone-scientist-fun-palaces-lunchtime-talk

Now for the challenging/fun part – getting the idea approved by health and safety!