Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether adults’ play can be stimulated using art-based exercises. It is based on an experiment in which people were asked to make visual reinterpretations of artworks of their choice while visiting a forest or other natural environment. The key concept was to encourage participants to experience play inspired by the artworks, specifically on the terms of, and in interaction with, the location. Participants were further encouraged to share their experience with others by uploading a picture to a website. The results show that playing really did take place in the natural settings. The pictures show clear signs of adults surrendering to play and proof of use of playthings. Hence it looks as if adults’ play may be stimulated using art-based exercises and that adult players make astonishingly multidimensional and deeply meaningful picture interpretations as long as they are given a good reason to do so and the freedom to throw themselves into action. Giving permission to act differently, the permission to free oneself from familiar operating models was encouragement enough, and the forest suddenly acquired new experiential, functional, multi-sensory purposes which crossed the boundary of normality.