After the last year and a half, we all deserve a little fun. That’s why Reset Organization is launching a summer series of 50 pop-up playgrounds for adults across the city.
The Pop-Up Playground is an outdoor audio experience designed to contribute to social recovery by encouraging individuals to develop a deep connection with others. It was put together by a selection of artists, community organizers, and volunteers as a way for individuals to just have fun and “un-adult together,” as the Reset website suggests.
“The last year has had an enormous impact on our mental health and community well-being, which we will continue to experience even as things open back up,” said Adil Dhalla, Reset’s director of community. “We need to be intentional about our social recovery and we are really passionate about bringing Reset’s expertise around adult play into the city.”
Since 2015, Reset has hosted several multi-day adult camps focused on play through experiential art. But with the 2020 cancellation due to COVID-19 restrictions, Camp Reset has taken the chance to bring fun to more people in the city.
Participants will receive sanitized headphones for the 30-minute experience, which will be socially distant in groups of no more than 10 individuals. It’s described as something akin to guided meditation, only those involved will be guided towards each other in a safe way not towards solitude. It’s an exercise in mental wellness.
The Pop-Up Playground is scheduled to run every Thursday through Saturday from July 15 to September 19. The first six playgrounds will be hosted at Artscapes Wychwood Barns as it searches for potential spaces for its next pop-ups. Tickets are available online at a sliding scale rate.
Also open for viewing at the Wychwood Barns site is a new art exhibit dedicated to honouring the Great Lakes.