Why I Play: Paul Pethick

24 juin 2015
2 min de lecture

"Every conversation, every human interaction is play".

The fourth interview of our 'Why I Play' series features playful interactions specialist, author of the forthcoming book Play/create and Founder of PLayLab Paul Pethick. Our Pony had the chance to help Paul on the organisation of a playful, hands-on workshop that aimed at encouraging the attendees of the Digital Shoreditch Festival to get messy and creative with their hands. And they seemed to like it very much.

Ready to play?

Photo credits: Paul Pethick

Hi Paul, please tell us what do you do? My job (and I made it up myself!) is to explore the connection between play and creativity, to try to unlock some secrets there, and then to use every method I can to pass them along to others. Right now I’m researching and writing a book called PLAY/CREATE. I’m really hoping it’ll encourage people to be freer and more playful with their creativity. A chunk of the book is interviews I’m doing with some of the world’s most interesting creators. The idea is to drill down into their ‘play DNA’ and see how it works. The results so far are proving that they’ve produced their amazing work, and got to where they are, because they’ve held onto their original wonder and playfulness, through the educational and social filtration pipes that drain it off most people. When was the last time you played? I keep my play engine on tickover at all times. Every conversation is play, every human interaction. I’m not talking about clowning or playing games all day, but some essence of pure play should seep into every improvised moment of life.. ..otherwise you’re rehearsing too much. How do you use play in your work? I try to use playful tactics wherever possible – but especially in public interactions, social games and installations I’ve been asked to do. If you get people involved, and you get it right, the effects go much deeper than if you just show’n’tell. What do you get from playing? It’s simple. I’m always just trying to get back to that mind-tickle, that feeling of infinite possibility I got from making stuff and using my imagination every day when I was eight. Why do you think play is important for people in general - and not only children? Hmm, this is a big question. Have you got a week? Play came before speech, play came before culture, play created our brains. If adults are under-using their play muscles they’re slowly but surely shutting down. Play = Life. If you were an imaginary animal what would it be? I’d be a giant neon turkey-bird, the size of France.. ..and pulling a vast sign through the sky, that says ‘Stop Fighting About Nonsense Humans. Make Something, And Get Lost In Creativity Instead’.