Its a sunny morning and we start our walk with a question card asking ‘Who owns what?’ The shop we started from is owned by Walmart and the shopping centre we are about to enter is owned by a another company as we soon find out. So the path between them is for common use then? Does that mean we can play here? A little boy swings from the railings till his parents urge him to stop.
As we reach the other end of the shopping centre we throw the die and the card chosen suggests we play ‘skip to avoid the cracks’. No sooner is the card out and we are approached by the security guard and the centre’s manager who tell us we cannot play there. A lively debate ensues. The manager tells us that very morning the scarcity of play was discussed on the radio but we still cannot convince him that our play is harmless – we have to move on.
We have a very fruitful walk in streets we’ve not been to before with lots of memories and stories shared. We swing on railings, balance on bike rails, spot many security cameras, play chopsticks on bins and signs and are spotted by security guards by the courthouse when we try and sit on the grass. We see many extraordinary instructional signs…
As we head back we walk backwards in silence on a busy road, some feeling dizzy others serene. We spot some very recent squatters and hear stories of childhood play – like swimming in the river – down by the turbines where the water was warm.
Back at the community room we try and write as much as we can down as we plot out our path on the map.
