We gratefully acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the many UNSW creativity students whose energy, risk-taking and questioning continues to inspire our research, and in particular, those who have contributed their coursework materials and insights to the writing of this book:
Lily Carter
Chevi Fernando
Yiyuan Guo
Zahara Jithoo
Roma Khoda
Gabrielle Polsey
Sheen Thennavan Richards
Gemma Smith
Alyson Steichen
Sharlini Williams
Otto Zagala
We also wish to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the many makers, artists and teachers we have learned from across our careers, and in particular, those who have contributed their knowledge and experiences to the writing of this book. You can listen to many of these artists in the book’s associated podcast series How to Play in Slow Time.
Emma-Maye Gibson
Nathan Harrison
Riana Head-Toussaint
Victoria Hunt
Pablo Latona
Karlie Noon
Alice Osborne
Rachel Roberts
Charemaine Seet
Kirthana Selvaraj
Annette Tesoriero
Nitin Vengurlekar
We would like to thank Bryony Jackson for generously allowing us to use Best Festival Ever by Boho Interactive for this book’s cover art and Currency Press
We would like to acknowledge the School of the Arts and Media in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at UNSW Sydney for funding that supported publication of this project, alongside Sara Haddad and Fiona Crawford for their editorial oversight and expertise.
We also offer our thanks to Victoria Hunt, for their invaluable feedback and guidance on cultural knowledge; Tom Hogan, for his careful work editing and creating the sound design on the podcast How To Play in Slow Time; Pablo Latona, for their early consultation on the podcast that helped shaped its form; John Harmann and Krisjoe Fuertes at the UNSW Technical Resource Centre for their help with the podcast; Dan Collins, for their insights into playfulness within practices of historical European martial arts.
Co-authors additionally acknowledge Alexandra Tálamo for producing the podcasts with such expertise, energy and vision. Co-authors also offer deep gratitude to Bryoni Trezise for the course design and research that initiated this investigation and for the enthusiastic spark that brought this collaboration together. This book would not exist without Bryoni’s brilliant conceptualisations, dedication, and care.
Current and former staff in Theatre and Performance Studies at UNSW as well as at the Esme Timbery Creative Practice Lab – Mark Mitchell, Paul Matthews, Troy Reid, Su Goldfish – deserve a special mention for the anchor and ongoing support they provide to all our teaching. Clare Grant (OAM) is the teacher and mentor who has anchored so many of these practices for all of us – thank you Clare!
Finally, we would like to thank our families and chosen families for supporting the writing process. Maria would like to thank Chris Moore, Marilyn Luchetti and Bruce White. Charlotte would like to thank Hannah Buck, Agnes and Edie Buck-Farrell. Alex would like to thank Desma Tálamo, Orlando Tálamo and Simon Hammond. Bryoni would like to thank Pablo Leighton and Bela and Cosima Trezise.
This book was produced while living and working as guests on the unceded lands and waters of the Bidjigal, Gadigal and Wangal people.