Of Street GamesDrawings
2015
State
I have always found it fascinating how cultures are reflected on public space and in particular in what games are played on the street. This project emerged from observing petanque players in the streets of Paris, they ranged from old people to young, no matter the age, they were together playing along the streets. From this fascination emerged a series of ink drawings that pushed me to research multiple street games. I started with those that I thought were characteristic of my country, Colombia. But what I found most interesting was that those games that I thought represented a region, are played in a very similar way to other street games played all over the world.
“Rana” , a national game, used to come from the Egyptians that threw coins to the frogs in the fountains to bring good luck. “Domino” , also characteristic of the coastal regions, was originally from India, and then modified in China, who introduced it to Europe during the Renaissance. This collection of drawings portray the essence of multiple street games through: history, mechanics, and moments. The language of play connects everyone´s memory and recollections of their own streets and neighborhoods. It is a cabinet of drawings that makes the street as the essencial place of encounter of people, cultures and memories.