Welcome to Playful Again!
Playful Again is a large-scale art installation coming to Burning Man 2023. The piece is an invitation to reconnect to the childlike joy and wonder that comes from the pure act of play.
Let’s Spin, Let’s Dance, Let’s Play!
When we were children, we loved to play. Life was magical when we were at play — we could create anything and everything we imagined was so very real. We learned to use our hands, interact with each other and explore the world through play.
Sadly, as adults we have limited time for play. We forget to be ourselves. We forget our innocence and lose the practice of seeing life without filters. We lose our connection to joy and live with the fear of expectations and criticism. Life becomes full of judgment and consequences.
Playful Again is about resurrecting that dreamy, whimsical world of play and bringing us back to that magical place.
About the Installation
Playful Again creates an interactive world of mythical fairy tales, wonder and play. The piece has cast figures within, a playground outside, and casts of “humanimals” with horns and wings set across the scene.
Within the dome ceiling, a “human chandelier” of aerialist sculptures hang from a hoop, circling in perpetual motion, fully powered by solar energy.
The walls inside will have giant paintings of acrobats. At night there will be dramatic shadow play from the solar-powered figures in perpetual motion.
Thanks for your support
Playful Again was designed and created by Valerie Mallory Art
for Burning Man 2023. We're deeply grateful to the dedicated
crew of builders, volunteers, and financial donors who helped
make this happen. Thank you so much!
We've brought large-scale art installations to Burning Man every
year since 2014. Please swing by our studio site to learn more
about our work and see what we're up to now.