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Community School of Auchterarder - Phase 2: Primary Playground

Perth & Kinross Council

Jan 2002 to Sep 2004

Auchterarder, Perth & Kinross

Susie Hunter, Primary Playground 'Horn'

Susie Hunter, Primary Playground 'Bumps'

Susie Hunter, Primary Playground 'House'

Susie Hunter, Primary Playground

Susie Hunter, Primary Playground 'House'

Susie Hunter, Primary Playground 'disks'

Susie Hunter, Primary Playground, wooden decking

Susie Hunter, Primary Playground overview

The design of the this playground for the new Auchterarder Community School was the second of four development phases where artists were integrated into the design and realisation of a new school. In this second phase artist Susie Hunter worked closely with pupils to develop ideas for the layout and content of one of the primary playgrounds. The space was designed to stimulate free play rather than prescriptive activities and is a combination of sculpture, landscaping and imagination.

Artists

Susie Hunter

Funding

SAC Award amount: £45,000.00
Project total cost: £71,387.00
Funding purpose: Towards the cost of commissioning artist Susie Hunter to work collaboratively with architects in the design of a primary school playground.

(Please note dates and details correct at time of award.)

Consultation & Commissioning Process

The overall project has been developed in close collaboration with local school children through artist-led participatory workshops and education programmes. This type of consultation brings young people into contact with high quality contemporary visual art and the working processes of visual artists. The consultation process affected the final design of the playground.

The wider school community and public were consulted through public exhibition of artist’s designs and open meetings within Auchterarder.

The whole project was managed by PACE. Artist’s brief was developed by PACE in collaboration with Perth & Kinross Council, the project architects and the landscape architects.
A long list of 20 artists was sourced by PACE and a selection panel invited four artists for the four phases of the whole community school project. Susie Hunter was selected for Phase 2.

Outcomes

Susie created some intimate spaces whilst trying to keep as much run around space as possible. The space includes:

a stage area framed with climbing plants
wooden decking and seating incorporating wheelchair access to the stage
playing surface made of rubber polymeric showing a stylised running track
a “house” – a walled area open to interpretation for imaginative play.
discs dotted over the play surface with springs or spinning actions
moguls – a miniature landscape sculpted from the rubberised surface