The Collective Canal: Playground Design Studio

Architecture and design studio Playground were commissioned to investigate what a more fantastical collective canal, used by everybody, could look like.

Part of the National Festival of Making’s creative response to the Linear Park pilot project commissioned by The Super Slow Way, we asked Carma from Playground to explore the Blackburn stretch of Liverpool to Leeds Canal – its landscape, historic buildings and its future.

With the aid of a three-dimensional model created using technology at The Making Rooms, local residents were invited to playfully imagine a truly collective canal. Starting with a walk together along the towpath, participants went back to the workshop to explore possibilities through a series of activities and by hand-making fantastical collage.

The model grew throughout the day-long workshop and continued to evolve over the festival weekend, where new ideas were gathered from festival goers. A prototype piece of wayfinding, inspired by the iconic canal signage, was also built to capture the attention and imagination of the participants.

About Playground Design Studio

Playground Design Studio is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Manchester, led by artist and Architect Carma Masson. Key to their work is a strong narrative, bold use of colour, and most importantly a sense of playfulness. Playground’s work ranges from architecture and interiors; to installations and illustrations; exhibitions and community workshops – and everything in-between.

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Two people walk across a bridge surrounded by greenery. One carries a colourful rucksack and the other, wearing a headscarf, pushes a shopping trolley. More people can be seen further along the bridge.

A person in a pink coat stands on a stone path beside a calm canal, with lush greenery, purple flowers, and a red bridge in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

A close-up of a colourful architectural model features green, purple, and pink miniature structures, pathways, and grassy textures, resembling a playful park or garden layout with various abstract shapes and forms.

The Collective Canal, 2022. Photo by Robin Zahler.

A person points to a colourful signpost with various labelled arrows under a circular sign reading Fantastical Thoughts. The sign is displayed outdoors near trees and tents at a public event.

A group of five people with rucksacks and bags stand by a black railing, facing a cityscape with many houses under a cloudy sky. Green trees and parked cars are visible in the background.

A group of women, some wearing hijabs, stand outdoors listening to a woman speaking. One woman takes notes with a pencil and notebook. There is a canal, a red boat, and scaffolding on a nearby building in the background.

The Collective Canal, 2022. Photo by Robin Zahler.

Four women walk along a riverside path bordered by grass and wildflowers, with trees and a red bridge visible in the background. The sky is partly cloudy, and one woman carries a patterned bag.

The Collective Canal, 2022. Photo by Robin Zahler.

Photography by Playground Design Studio and Robin Zahler.