JUMP / for Waltham Forest / 2021
JUMP was a celebration of play for thousands of residents and visitors across Waltham Forest, running from 17 to 26 September. It combined newly-commissioned work with community events across the borough, aiming to create new opportunities to play and to highlight existing groups working playfully within the borough. I worked on the project from late 2020, initially conducting R&D around play activities within the borough and the feasibility of a festival, then staying involved to curate the event itself in 2021.
The festival culminated in the Waltham Forest Games Market on 25 September: a day-long mix of free drop-in activities, performances, food, and market stalls with game designers, artists, writers and vendors selling board games, books, interactive sculptures, and toys.
We commissioned installations around the borough to run throughout the festival, including Verbal Kabaddi VII, by Thukral & Tagra, an interactive installation inviting players to reflect on the climate crisis; Motif, a pattern-making game by Rianna Suen with illustrations by Jhinuk Sarkar, playable online and as a physical installation in Leytonstone; and the UK premiere of Street Tape Games by Helen Kwok and Chad Toprak.
Online, Time Trouble from Stanley Morse took the form of a Roblox game set in the Waltham Forest wetlands, and Craft Me A Gamer, led by Shanique Thompson, brought together four experts in the intersection of crafts and games for an online panel.
Other events included a Skate Jam from Everyone On Boards, an invitation for families to create or become a sculpture in Sculpture or Sculptor, and play days from the V&A Museum of Childhood and from Assemble Play.
JUMP was led from the Waltham Forest Culture Team by Abi Lemon, and the core team included Tracky Crombie as Creative Producer, Kaveh Rahnama as Community Engagement Producer, and Christine Lai as Assistant Producer. Shanique Thompson was R&D Associate, Make A Spectacle made the website, and amad.studio did the visual design. All photos by Ben Peter Catchpole.
