Didi Dunphy: Playscape
COCA, Millstone Gallery
Through April 20
RAC Blogger: Debra Kokorudz

Now that you’re all grown up and in the real world, what do you do on your lunch break? Do you take a real “coffee break”? Or do you take “smoke breaks”? (If you do take smoke breaks, you should quit. It’s really quite bad for you.) Do you ever visit the playground during lunch and take a turn on the swing set or the see saw anymore? Sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? That’s what artist, teacher and entrepreneur Didi Dunphy thought when during the course of her busy day, she got a little jealous of her young daughter’s recess time at school. With her exhibition at COCA entitled Playscape, her goals include “bringing the "free time" of Recess indoors and reintroducing play through sculptural furnishings.”

She has created a variety of art objects that are actually designed to be used for recreation, hopefully with another person, to re-create that social interaction combined with activity that we miss so much from our grade-school days. According to the artist, “My sculptural objects are friendly monuments, soft to touch, wipe-able if smudged and awaiting someone to back in to and hop on.” So, I came to the Millstone Gallery at COCA so excited to play on the see saw and swing on the swing. Her pieces are designed to be used, and generally during exhibitions, viewers can “play” on the objects. Unfortunately, last weekend one of the pieces was slightly damaged and now this exhibition is, like most art installations - look but don’t touch. I was very disappointed to say the least, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Dunphy takes traditional ideas of outdoor recreation and softens them with padding, vinyl, and detailed embroidery. See Saw, is a bigger-than-life, hot-pink, Technicolor dream of a playground object. Exagerrated to the point of being cartoonish, and soooo inviting. I mean, really, to entice adults to release their inhibitions and engage in this type of recreation, it has to be over the top.

With Inside Skate and Indoor Longboard, she has taken skateboarding and added padding  for your old bones. Stripes of thin, vinyl cushioning adorn Inside Skate, in shades of blue, yellow and orange, and reminded me of the folding “banana chairs” we take out to the pool in the summer. Be sure to check out the press book in the gallery for photos of Tony Hawk taking these boards for a spin – in his bare feet. Very sexy.

What goth chick wouldn’t love to have Charm Bracelet in her living room? Centered around a two-piece, heart-shaped ottoman, heart charms in red and black shiny vinyl with metal studs, connected by red chains hang on the wall. Although the gallery attendant suggested it was for sitting, not making out, I beg to differ!

And speaking of making out, how about the Kissing Jim Conversation/Courting Rocker? A sleek red, metal bench with heart, x and o, cutouts, where users sit facing one another, poised to lean forward for a kiss.

This work is interesting to me because it rides that fine line between art and design, becoming art as design, or design as art. By making these objects accessible in the gallery she invokes some Dada-ist ideals of every day objects becoming works of art, or anti-art. But you also have to argue that this is truly great design in terms of color, form and function, and how the artist hopes to affect our everyday lives in this hectic world in which we communicate constantly but rarely interact with one another face-to-face.

So, all I could do was imagine what it would feel like to frolic on these whimsical pieces and live vicariously through the photos from previous exhibitions, where gallery attendants wore shirts that said “playground attendant.” I’m sure if you are a serious buyer, you would be allowed to “try before you buy.”  So if you are expecting a windfall or even just a nice tax refund, one of these pieces could really add some unexpected fun to your moments of downtime. Now, let’s see, Inside Skate is only $500… I’ve gotta go call my accountant.