Mihael Ruja

Michelle Lee

Int Studio 2: Constructed Environment

03/13/19

 

Play Challenge Proposal

 

We are currently situated within an epoch of reimagining what it means to be human, to be us, to be you. New lenses of analysis are being applied to clarify ubiquitous and arbitrary prisms of ideological practices. Ideologies that constitute the very nature of identity (power, class, gender, etc). Practices that proliferate a particular performance of these identities. This has lead to our society slowly coming to recognize the existence of people who break away from the archaic gender binary. People who identify as Trans*, Gender non-conforming, nonbinary, and other terms within a lexicon that attempts to capture a new freedom of self. Albeit recognition of existence and language, this burgeoning community lacks the infrastructure and social capital to be rooted within our developing economy. As a result, this underrepresented community has relied on the subversion of preexisting objects that are riddled with blatant disregard for their perception and use. This specifically occurs within the market and design of toys for gender variant children. The crux of my project is to place the designer as a provocateur of this cultural shift in imagining how to create a toy that provides space for gender fluidity without feeling ostracized from your assigned gender.

 

In my project I envision objects of play as a locus of gender norms. According to Judith Blakemore in her book Gender Development:

 

Toys for boys tends to be aggressive (soldiers, wrestlers, and guns) and toys most associated with girls were related to appearance (Barbie dolls and accessories, ballerina costumes, makeup, jewelry, etc.)

 

By merging, what once were exclusive gender practices and aesthetics, I can give space to creating a gradience of choices for children to explore. Play should be a domain of inclusion and objects of play its facets of augmentation. This would catalyze a shift in gender performance, norms, roles and new fantasies that fuel the magical world of child play.

 

Currently I have been examining archetypes of gendered toys such a cut out dolls, barbies, ken dolls, airplanes, guns, and action figures–objects mentioned by Judith Blakemore– in trying to find subtle (almost indiscreet or unrecognizable) ways in making them inclusive without denying their connection to certain gender group. In a series of cut out doll templates I shifted the subjects to be either male or female to disjunct from the article of clothing accompanied by it; e.g. male body next to female clothing or male body next to both female and male clothing. This is show the child at play that the possibility of choosing from either side of the spectrum is a possibility. The next steps are to create more inclusive bodies (disabled, poc, etc.) I also want to play with the idea of joining together very different gendered toys in making an object that produces an unnaturally or eerie feeling e.g. Barbie Plane.

 

My project will focus on ages between 2-5. A time when children begin to:

 

“figure out whether they are boys or girls [and] go on from there to identify the people around them as male or female, and to create rules and categories of what behaviors and interests and habits go with which identity.(theory of gender identity development)

 

It is also during this period

 

“Toddlers (2-3 age) are becoming aware of the function of objects and Preschoolers (ages 3 and up or 2 years before kindergarten) use toys and other objects for their intended purpose, yet also [imagining] a world of other possibilities for them.”

 

The purpose of focusing on such a young and malleable age is because malleability should not mean indoctrination, but rather possibility. According to the New York Times:

 

“Experts say that, [in regards to play and toys,] choices are significant because they can influence the skills children learn and the possibilities they see for themselves.”

Suggestions

1. 1. Subject
      1. Inclusive bodies
      2. Androgynous
      3. Ethnicity and race
      4. Changeable facial features
         1. This might creat a fetisization for body modification (???)
         2. Mirror face
   2. Dress Up
      1. Design your own cut out doll template for laser cutting (practical toy)
      2. Assemblage
      3. Magnets
      4. Perforations
   3. Physical hybrid gender toy
      1. Gradience of gender toys (Strongly Female to Strongly Masculine)
      2. Series
      3. Buy these objects (plane and barbie doll) and physically merge them into something grotesque
      4. Use casting or ceramics to make these objects
   4. What are other tactics?
      1. trompe l’oeil
         1. What would be a subversion of purposiveness of a toy?
         2. Is an ideological trompe l’oeil possible?
         3. Toys already do this.
      2. Make grotesque or repugnant

 

• Exquisite corps (Barbie)

• Merge pregnant barbie onto ken doll

 

2. Research
   1. Existing GNC toys
   2. Advertisements
   3. Gendered Aesthetics: Materials, color, form, function, etc.
   4. Visit FAO Schwarz
3. Sparkle Unicorns And Fart Ninjas: What Parents Can Do About Gendered Toys
   1. https://one.npr.org/i/705824731:706777785