Ten years ago Watershed began Playable City, seeking to put people and play at the heart of the future city. Across the globe Playable City has built a networked community of creatives, producers and citizens, unlocking social dialogue and play through a series of hybrid labs, talent development programmes and playable installations.
After taking some time to reflect on how the world has changed, Watershed is launching its first UK Playable City Commission since 2016, giving six teams the opportunity to receive up to £45k each to develop a prototype.
“Playable city ideas are a human response to the coldness and anonymity of the urban environment. By encouraging activities that bring joy, we can create a happier, more cohesive urban future” The Guardian.
They are looking for six brilliant ideas to reanimate our cities post-lockdown by inviting people to play and connect: creative SMEs, artists, designers, architects, technologists and creative practitioners can submit an expression of interest for Playable City Sandbox by Fri 12 Aug.
Teams will be supported through Watershed’s Sandbox methodology to develop prototypes as part of the ideas development process. Sandbox provides a facilitated space where participants have the chance to transform an experimental idea to a working prototype over three months of rapid research and development.
“Sandbox has been one of the best funded projects I’ve ever been involved with […] it combines meaningful financing, sensitive support and input, and a laser focus on good commercial product design.” Alex Fleetwood, previous Sandbox participant.
Playable City Sandbox is part of the the MyWorld IDEAS programme.
The application process has two stages:
Stage 1: Apply with an expression of interest for an Ideas Lab (Ideas Labs run on Thursday 8 & Monday 12 September 2022)
Stage 2: After you have attended an Ideas Lab, apply with an idea for a Playable City prototype.
Find out everything you need to know about the theme, the opportunity, the application process and FAQs here: https://wshd.to/playablecitysandbox22
Deadline for Stage 1 expressions of interest Friday 12 August 10:00
