Post by Buster on Jul 15, 2005 20:39:31 GMT
Hey all,
Long time no speak.
Some of you may have seen in the Argus that we've got a grant from Brighton and Hove Council to start work on developing "The Urban Playground" which, amongst other things, will be the UK's first dedicated, purpose built Parkour Park.
I've been following the for and against arguments on the UF message board and think I'm pretty well aware of what kinds of opinions are out there but it would be good to hear from you all with thoughts and suggestions.
The Urban Playground is also now Brighton Council's official entry into an ITV show where the Lottery are giving money to redevelop areas in the community and the proposed site for the UP - the old Peter Pan's Playground on the east end of Brighton beach fits the bill pretty well.
You all might have to help out if it gets selected as there'll be a public vote included...
Now - what is it?
Well - it's a performance space, and will be open air, permanent, and solid. It will be used mainly by Traceurs but also by Dancers and Physical Theatre practitioners who will create work on it and for it.
It will be the architectural opposite of a skate park, in that the highest bits will be in the middle and there will be seating all around to encourage th public to watch, get interested and hopefully, eventually, participate.
It will be a series of walls, platforms and rails some connected and others free standing - the whole creating a recognisably urban environment but one with no obvious function.
If you just walk through it you'll know that something is wrong - you'll feel uncomfortable, and you'll keep taking routes that go no where. In order to figure it out you'll first have to look at it differently, then find a new way to move that will open up the environment's possibilities - sound familiar?
We've got an architect on board, as well as various physical theatre practitioners and contemporary dancers (ourselves included, that's me, Dantes, Miranda and a few others who took part in the Source Shoot) plus we're talking to UF and another Team.
What we're not going to build is a park with the Cat Leap wall, and the vault rail, and the gap-jump jump. it will be a place you can approach from lots of different angles and keep inventing on. It will not be a one-trick pony.
We're going to the south-bank to look at what works, and we're planning to visit Lisses too. Then we'll sit down with the architect, draw up the plans, and then:
We'll hire a gym, get as close to the plan as we can with "soft" versions of the obstacles, and invite a load of Traceurs, dancers etc to come and jump around, then give us feedback on what they think works and what doesn't work.
then, and only then, we'll have it built.
So - What do you think?
Look forward to hearing from ya.
All the best
Buster
Long time no speak.
Some of you may have seen in the Argus that we've got a grant from Brighton and Hove Council to start work on developing "The Urban Playground" which, amongst other things, will be the UK's first dedicated, purpose built Parkour Park.
I've been following the for and against arguments on the UF message board and think I'm pretty well aware of what kinds of opinions are out there but it would be good to hear from you all with thoughts and suggestions.
The Urban Playground is also now Brighton Council's official entry into an ITV show where the Lottery are giving money to redevelop areas in the community and the proposed site for the UP - the old Peter Pan's Playground on the east end of Brighton beach fits the bill pretty well.
You all might have to help out if it gets selected as there'll be a public vote included...
Now - what is it?
Well - it's a performance space, and will be open air, permanent, and solid. It will be used mainly by Traceurs but also by Dancers and Physical Theatre practitioners who will create work on it and for it.
It will be the architectural opposite of a skate park, in that the highest bits will be in the middle and there will be seating all around to encourage th public to watch, get interested and hopefully, eventually, participate.
It will be a series of walls, platforms and rails some connected and others free standing - the whole creating a recognisably urban environment but one with no obvious function.
If you just walk through it you'll know that something is wrong - you'll feel uncomfortable, and you'll keep taking routes that go no where. In order to figure it out you'll first have to look at it differently, then find a new way to move that will open up the environment's possibilities - sound familiar?
We've got an architect on board, as well as various physical theatre practitioners and contemporary dancers (ourselves included, that's me, Dantes, Miranda and a few others who took part in the Source Shoot) plus we're talking to UF and another Team.
What we're not going to build is a park with the Cat Leap wall, and the vault rail, and the gap-jump jump. it will be a place you can approach from lots of different angles and keep inventing on. It will not be a one-trick pony.
We're going to the south-bank to look at what works, and we're planning to visit Lisses too. Then we'll sit down with the architect, draw up the plans, and then:
We'll hire a gym, get as close to the plan as we can with "soft" versions of the obstacles, and invite a load of Traceurs, dancers etc to come and jump around, then give us feedback on what they think works and what doesn't work.
then, and only then, we'll have it built.
So - What do you think?
Look forward to hearing from ya.
All the best
Buster