Have you ever wondered what children’s playgrounds are for? Or why are they designed the way they are? This is something that concerns Laia Estruch, one of our most playful and performative sculptors, who is able to detect sculptural forms where we would least expect to find them. What are playgrounds if not large urban sculptures that encourage interaction with our whole body? In the MOAT series, Laia has been reinterpreting and redesigning typical playground structures. And, despite the jaunty aesthetics of any play area, no decision is innocent. The way children move and play is so scripted and predictable that any playground can be read like a song sheet.

In the piece that she’s brought to TNT, Laia replaces the rigid structures of a playground with the soft, adaptable volumes of a large inflatable. Unlike steel, wood or rubber, an inflatable needs to breathe, just like us. MOAT III is a dialogue between bodies through voice and movement. The human body and the body of the object, which together create a soundscape that unfolds through action.

Moving around its inside is not as easy as one might think. Far from working like a bouncy castle, Laia’s piece is greedy and careful concentration is required to avoid getting devoured. The key is to breathe with it, controlling the air to keep balance. As the action progresses, Laia merges with the piece’s breathing until they become a single body.

After seeing the sculpture in action, kids can then jump inside and use their bodies and voices to play with the volumes of the sculpture. Have you ever been in a breathing playground? Laia opens the doors for you. And if you fancy delving even deeper into the feel and sensuality of materials, then you should pay a visit to Jou Serra’s Range in Between, where light replaces the voice as a sensitive body.