Spaces of Play

So, once again, I'm am trying to blog on this topic, spaces of play. Here's hoping this one survives. When my father came to visit, we did many typical touristy things, like visit the aquarium. This visit, and looking over the pictures taken, sent many ideas flowing around my brain. One was the number of maps and signs available. It was actually more confusing with all the information than just wandering around. The aquarium is set up with different zones, the cold-water zone, the tropical reefs, the river, and the petting zoo. Everything was curved, lending a degree of privacy and solitude to a very crowded and noisy environment. The glass itself, at least in the reef, looked very much like a movie theatre. At times, it was like watching someones screen saver.

The other random thought was on the children. Much of the time, all I could hear was "Where's Nemo? I can't find Nemo." By the time we reached the end of the reef zone, the children were stressed out, and many missed seeing the clown fish aka "Big Nemo." As this entertained three generations of my family as well as the next generation, it qualifies as a space of play.

The other space of play is the High Museum. This is a very different environment. No petting zoo, no touching, no food is allowed among the artwork. This past weekend, there were numerous special events to keep people entertained as they waited in line to get to the special Terracotta exhibition. The museum had different shows set up in the lobby and a local martial arts school was dressed as the soldiers. The lobby of the old building is particularly well set up for such shows. It is clear

and open to the roof, some five levels above the main floor. This part of the museum is all curved lines and glass. It did prove a way to be somewhat entertaining as one waited (and waited) in line.