Ludic practice: the case for play in university museums

Abstract

This article calls for a greater use of play in university museums and study collections. Play is not new in museums but ‘ludic practice’ calls for a tailored approach, centred on teaching collections and art and design students, and focusing on the object rather than the game or play interaction, as can be the focus in public collections. This article explores the work of Carson & Miller, the development of ludic practice and gives an overview of initial teaching experiments carried out with first year students on the Fine Art 3D pathway at Central Saint Martins (UAL).