Squishy Taylor and the City-Wide Ghost Plaque

Background: Due to necessary public health measure our relationship with urban public spaces during the pandemic has shifted. They have become sites of transmission and avoidance. This research emerged from a concern that children’s connection to public spaces was being permanently reshaped by the pandemic, a sentiment shared by Florida (2020) and Stevens et al. (2021). However, it was also interested in developing a flexible mode of delivery. Arts and culture, along with tourism, has been decimated by the pandemic (Australia Council 2020). Finding new flexible modes of delivery will help the sector survive and provide models that can be utilised to improve its resilience during future crises such as climate change. Consequently this research asked: how can we create a participatory creative work that encourages children to engage with public space in the era of lockdowns, social distancing, and remote learning? And how can we create a participatory artwork that remains safe and playable regardless of public health directives? Contribution: ‘Squishy Taylor and the City-Wide Ghost Plague’ was produced by The Inhabitors and created by Brienna Macnish, Clare McCracken, Michele Lee and Simon Bedford with Ailsa Wild and Rebecca Etchel. It is a story adventure for families inspired by Ailsa Wild’s ‘Squishy Taylor' junior fiction series. Through creative writing, interactive design and puzzles, participants were encouraged to see their neighbourhood public spaces as a site of play, intrigue, and adventure. Significance: The project was shortlisted for Best Work in Festival Award, Melbourne Fringe Festival 2021 and was assisted by the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, the Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation, Regional Arts Victoria, the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.