To Play (As Children Do)
To Play (As Children Do) is a newly commissioned animation installation for STRP 2024, for which Chen received the 2024 Award for Creative Technology (ACT Award) from STRP Festival in the Netherlands. The work delves into the nuanced relationship between technology and childhood play, encapsulated within the speculative setting of "Tomorrow’s Promise Daycare" in a not-so-distant future.
Here, toddlers engage in play under the watchful eye of caretakers and pervasive technology—tools designed to track their interactions and collect data. This information is processed and shared with staff and parents to evaluate the children's well-being and even predict their future prospects. The work questions how much freedom we have in play and asks viewers to consider the fine line between care and control.
A key component of the work is the hybrid digital installation at New Art City. The virtual installation lends itself as a 360-degree tour of the daycare, mirroring elements from both the physical installation and simulated spaces embedded in the animation.
Artist: Carrie Chen
Composer & Sound Designer: Markel Badallo Latorre
Special Thanks: Ingram Mao, Harvey Moon, Sammie Veeler, Don Hanson, entire team at STRP Festival
Documentation: STRP Festival, Bob Drenth