I loved Cas's work. Her ability to play as an adult is something I hope to capture throughout my life. I could not agree more with the statement that artists and designers are really just playing and continuing the imaginative worlds we created as kids. On a personal note, I love physical and spatial design, but I had never really thought of designing the physical world of children. It's amazing to see how Cas is able to get into a child's mind and understand what they would want out of their playtime. She pointed out that children are so much more mature and understanding that we could predict or assume them to be. The industry seems extremely limiting in the toys they provide and really do stick to "the mold" in many ways. I remember learning about gendered toys in high school, so I really enjoyed her discussion about stripping gender identity from toys and rather giving children the "building blocks" to invent and understand themselves. I also remember as a child that while I did enjoy some more feminine toys, I really loved building and tool sets. I find myself today being attracted to fabrication, tools, and materials, things often associated with a more male-dominated industry. Cas's toy Rigamagig looked like something I would still play with today and I think she so brilliantly designed the toy so that it didn't feel gendered. There also was no right or wrong with this toy, it has endless possibilities. The open-endedness was also really interesting and not just for children, that sort of play with imagination is so important to adults too. The "architecture against death" project seemed like a really interesting experiment and I enjoyed the wackiness. The artists mentioned, "if life is predictable, you're a zombie". I thought that was very insightful and something hopefully I can take on in my own work.
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