2016

Sofie Thorsen: Spielplastiken | Play Sculptures, puts the focus on an artistic phenomenon in postwar Vienna that has been granted little recognition to date—playground sculptures for children created by artists as part of the large-scale “percent-for-art” program initiated by the City of Vienna.

Since 2010 Sofie Thorsen has conducted a historical exploration into the typology of the play sculpture, which she has artistically transformed into several groups of works. Since most of these play sculptures have disappeared from the cityscape, Thorsen relies mostly on photographic archival materials. From these materials she then makes photographs, collages, paper sculptures, and installations.

Combining artistic reflection and scientific study, the publication is the first to highlight the historic moment when art and the general public were brought together and analyses this moment as part of a Europe- and USA-wide discourse on urban planning, architecture and abstract sculpture, aesthetics and function as well as art and play.

152 pages / 28 x 21 cm / Hard cover

English/German

With texts by Heike Eipeldauer, Mari Laanemets, Peter Pakesch and Susan G. Solomon

Editors: Heike Eipeldauer and Sofie Thorsen

Graphic Design: Martha Stutteregger

Lithography: Markus Wörgötter

Published by Verlag für moderne Kunst

ISBN 978-3-86984-505-0

Play Sculptures at Verlag für Moderne Kunst

Press release