The Playground Project Melbourne

Client: Moonee Valley City Council
Location: Incinerator Gallery, Aberfeldie, Victoria
Co-ordinates: 37.76445°S 144.90349°E
Status: Complete
Year: 2025
Project Team: BoardGrove Architects, Hutchinson Parks Services, MVCC, RI Brown
Curator: Gabriela Burkhalter
Contractor: Riverside Projects
Photography: BoardGrove Architects | Timothy Burgess
Words: BoardGrove Architects

artwork  children’s play  exhibition  gallery  installation  playground  

The exhibition at the Incinerator Gallery told the story of the history of playgrounds, curated by Gabriela Burkhalter. Through the design of the exhibition, we aimed to make a captivating experience for children and adults alike that complimented the sensibility of childhood play and imagination – fun, surprise, curiosity and otherworldliness. Play was woven through the spaces from a site-specific cubby, to the Lozziwurm by Yvan Pestalozzi, to the Brutalist Playground by Assemble and Simon Terrill. The story of the playgrounds was displayed at varying scales from billboard size to small images. 

Large format images of occupied playgrounds sat as contextual and immersive backgrounds to the gallery installations. Elsewhere smaller images were hung low and scaled to the size of young children making them feel connected to the exhibition. The colour palette was intentional lively with the tones shifting through the exhibition to connect the imagery and historical play periods to the wider spatial experience.

artwork  children’s play  exhibition  gallery  installation  playground