My slides for presentation at "Experiments With Megacities", event at LABCD, Mexico City, Dec 3, 2015 http://labcd.mx/exploraciones-006/

1. A PLAY
ETHIC FOR
THE CITY
PAT KANE
THEPLAYETHIC.COM
LABORATORIO
PARA LA CIUDAD

2. HOW DOES YOUR
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
LINK TO PLAY,
PLAYFULNESS & THE
DEVELOPMENT OF CITIES &
SOCIETIES?
”
“

3. THE CITY SOMETIMES HAS A PLAYFUL
CONVERSATION
...WITH ITSELF...

4. A PLAY ETHIC FOR THE CITY
WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS?
GUIDING NOTIONS:
• play as the "influx of mind
into matter" (Huizinga)
• play as "adaptive
potentiation" Sutton-Smith
• The city not just as a
playground - but as "ground
of play" - where play grows
from, is made sustainable
and draws resources from.

5. MY PLAY ETHIC FOR THE CITY
WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS?
Four kinds of making
define relationship
between play & city in my
life
• MUSIC-MAKING
• MEDIA-MAKING
• MOVEMENT-MAKING
• FESTIVAL-MAKING

6. MUSIC
MAKING
• Commercial musician for 30 years
• Musicians play the city and the citizens
• Music culture generate venues - new,
new-old, old-new, just old. Has supports
“scenius” (Eno).
• Attending gigs, citizens turn urban space
dramatic, epiphany - and display
taste/aesthetics
• It’s why Paris attacks so traumatic -
James Brown: "the night time is the right
time" - it’s when city is happiest with itself

7. MEDIA
MAKING
• I’ve been a professional
writer/journalist/editor also for 30 years
• I was one of founding editors of a
Sunday national newspaper in Scotland
Based in Glasgow - office is literally at
the top of a hill looking down on the city
• Journalism should speak truth to power
- but papers also play their cities...
• ....Develop their collective narratives,
imagine their communities

8. MOVEMENT
MAKING
• I was involved in main campaign for Scottish
independence - leading cultural front
• City-at-and-in-play very important ... Music and
carnival in central squares, in front of TVs
stations
• Satire - "welcome to our imperial masters"
(playing Darth Vader theme tune) as No
politicians visited Glasgow
• Mexican parallels? Lopez Obrador's planton in
Mexico City, 2006
• Mock public trials in Mexico - effigies of
politicians burnt in streets, theatrical courts
performed

9. FESTIVAL
MAKING
FutureFest comes every 18 months, powered
by NESTA, UKs Innovation Charity
• I’ve been curator since start - based in
London - Using the city to create "festivals of
the future" - occupies big distinctive venues
(Shoreditch, Tobacco Dock)
• Cross between TED/WIRED -
Arts/performance installation - maker faire -
"the best way to predict future is to invent
it…or, redistribute its elements into one
urban space"
• Ticket price for weekend is £80 - less than
two days worth of UK minimum wage (or 2
Premier football tickets) - Trying to make
future-thinking accessible to citizens

10. A PLAY ETHIC FOR THE CITY
WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS?
GUIDING NOTIONS:
• play as the "influx of mind into
matter" (Huizinga)
• play as "adaptive potentiation"
Sutton-Smith
• The city not just as a
playground - but as "ground of
play" - where play grows from,
is made sustainable
• CITY AS COMPLEX
ORGANISM - & COMPLEX
ORGANISMS NEED TO PLAY!

11. AND SOMETIMES THEY OBVIOUSLY DO...
THANK YOU!

12. A PLAY
ETHIC FOR
THE CITY
PAT KANE
THEPLAYETHIC.COM
LABORATORIO
PARA LA CIUDAD