E1 Popularised article
Musings on Pure Play
Authors: Marila Marko Mikael
Publisher: Society for Artistic Research
Publication year: 2021
Journal: Research Catalogue
Issue: 3 Nov 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22501/rc.1408138
Web address : https://doi.org/10.22501/rc.1408138
The experiment reported here seeks inspiration from the interplay in chess between the limitations set by the rules and the playfulness afforded by the instance of playing the game. I replaced the chess pieces with everyday objects that are somehow personally or historically important and familiar to the player. With this experimental performance, I did not wish to point at anything outside the confines of the game, but rather explore whether a game of chess with random everyday objects as pieces is possible in the first place and if any significant discoveries could be made when playing in such a fashion. I treated the rules of the game simply as a starting place or a template, and while successful playing will require basic understanding of the rules of the game, I anticipated that paying attention to and spending time with the objects themselves would be more important.