Place as partner: material and affective intra-play between young people and trees

ABSTRACT

A collaboration between the third sector and a university in Southwest England, the Good from Woods project investigated wellbeing outcomes of time spent in woodland through action research by a range of woodland practitioners. The research reported in this article explores relations between children aged 3–15 years and trees in an adventure playground set in woodland regrowth on an old municipal tip. The innovative arts-based methodology highlights playful, imaginative and affective place-based play. We examine the flows of activity amongst human and nonhuman in this environment and consider how this place and its materiality supported intra-play between trees and children, nonhuman and human inhabitants. Our analysis interweaves post-paradigmatic new materialism with ideas of cultureplaces leading us towards an understanding of place as children’s (unequal) partner in intra-play.

KEYWORDS:

• Affect
• materiality
• nature
• play
• trees
• children

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 It is notable that most respondents discussed in this article were aged between 10 or 11. This may represent the most common age at which young people’s desire to play at Fort Apache was matched with their ability to frequently, independently access it. It may also partly reflect this age group’s relative enthusiasm for the playful research methods employed.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Big Lottery Fund: [Research Programme].