“We want to be able to relearn how to play, and I think this is important for everyone, not just children“

We’re back with Part 2 of our interview with Clare and Moira! This time, they dive deeper into how PLAY! keeps its programs free, collaborates with the right people, and stays true to its artistic vision.

PLAY! has made most of its workshops and activations free. Why is it important to ensure these programs remain accessible to the public at no cost?

Clare: For us, we knew we wanted to keep events free right from the very beginning. This is to ensure that anyone, and everyone, can participate and benefit from our programs. We want to be able to offer good quality programming and artworks to the general public, and bring art to them rather than the other way round.

Moira: We never want to have any barrier to entry to our workshops. We are currently working to become a charity!

PLAY! engages with a diverse range of people from all walks of life and ages. What motivates the decision to serve such a diverse community?

Clare: We take inspiration from the act of playing itself. Most adults have lost the interest in playing as we grow up and take on more responsibilities. It’'s important to relearn how to play, as this benefits us, our friends, families, and the larger community around us. I think this is important for everyone, not just children, hence we want to be able to cater to everyone.

Moira: PLAY! definitely has the ability to shapeshift and turn ourselves into whoever we want to be / the community needs us to be. Our goal is to serve different communities, that’'s really important to us.

As an arts collective collaborating with corporate clients, it can be a challenge for creatives to stay true to their style while meeting briefs. How do you navigate this balance?

Clare: We don’t look at corporate clients as any different from creating art within our own personal projects. The process is the same - it’s always collaborative, and everyone can give creative inputs. We are very open to sharing, discussing, and ideating together! Having such a collaborative environment makes the work fun, and we really appreciate all the clients who have given us their trust in the past couple of years.

Moira: We always try to start with the participants - who is our audience and what do they need ? We’ve been lucky enough to work with really lovely clients, who respect our artistic freedom and trust that we can deliver on our word. The brief is always a set of guidelines that the client needs to hit, it’s up to us to show them a world beyond the brief.

PLAY! has teamed up with a variety of creatives – from set designers to graphic designers and beyond. How do you choose the right collaborators for each project?

Clare: I rely 100% on my intuition. It’s a leap of faith, but once I feel like I trust the person, we just decide to work with them. Sometimes a feeling is all you have to go for, and I really trust my gut. It has worked out great so i’ll just keep following that hahha.

Moira: Vibes and risk. We always want to make sure someone can handle a project, we don’t wanna micromanage so we need to be able to trust people to handle things. Definitely just open communication and going with the flow. We aren’t afraid to get involved as co-founders, so we’ll get it done!!

To end this interview, describe PLAY! in 5 emojis!

Clare: 😝🤸🏼🤩🌈🎨

Moira: ☁️✨🪩🍃🐥

Keeping Our Workshops Free and Finding the Right Balance with Our Collaborators