The »AG Spielumwelt« [PlayEnvironment project group] existed at the nGbK (formerly NGBK) from 1969 to 1972. Its founding ideal was to develop artistic practices with and for children, so as to raise critical awareness of capitalism’s effects. Instead of the illusions the toy industry promised, children were to build a realistic play environment – a space where they would acquire self-confidence enough to handle the challenges of everyday life.

The revival of the »Spielklub Kulmer Strasse« takes the form of a 2-month experimental set-up, the »Spielclub Oranienstrasse 25«, for which the nGbK exhibition space will be transformed into a symbolic model of the Oranienstrasse. Local school classes will spend PlayDays there, devising ways to deal with current urban development issues in Berlin and, more specifically, in the Oranienstrasse, for example, housing policy, rent levels and participation in movements for social change.
A parallel exhibition will examine the historic »Spielklub Kulmer Strasse« and the broader discursive framework of the 1970s in which it articulated its aims.

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Our workshops in Spielclub Oranienstraße 25:

The workshop takes its lead from the Spielklub magazine and the »Hau zu Keule« [Club It Keule!] comics, which were published in the 1970s during the Spielklub era and the 10-day »Feste« [Parties] it gave rise to. Children and adults produced articles, comics and leaflets about their game; and children’s realities were reported on, too.
The fanzine workshop will take place on two different days during the Spielclub event. One fanzine will be produced on each day. Which situations did you face at Spielclub? What happened in the course of the PlayDay? How can you portray all of this in your drawings, prints, collages, photos and writing?

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In Spielclub I was participant and workshop leader with Marcos García Peréz and Valeria Fahrenkrog. More information: archiv.ngbk.de/en/projekte/spielclub-oranienstrasse-25/