Crochet Play

Imagine topsy-turvy terrain in whimsical worlds bursting with bright color …

Dr. Seuss?

Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss

You’re getting warm.

But, the terrain I’m talking about is not confined to the two-dimensional plane of a page.

Japanese fiber artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam has crocheted—

yes, crocheted—

a series of sublime Seuss-like landscapes into reality.

Takino Suzuran National Park, Hokkaido, Japan (Photo by Charles MacAdam)

And, as if that feat isn’t fabulous enough …

MacAdam’s sculptures are for touching,

scaling,

dangling …

That’s right,

these creations are for kids to climb on.

Takino Suzuran National Park, Hokkaido, Japan (Photo by Charles MacAdam)

In 1990, Toshiko and her husband, Charles MacAdam, established Interplay Design and Manufacturing in Nova Scotia, Canada, to develop the concept of play “sculptures” on a commercial scale. The first project was for a national park in Tokyo. It won a national design award in 1992 and continues to thrill kids to this day.

The inspiration for the couples’ elaborate, netted playgrounds arose from one of Toshiko’s earlier exhibits in Japan that inadvertently enticed children to climb on it. Instead of getting mad, Toshiko got an idea. Three years later, she completed her first super-sized crochet designed specifically for play.

Takino Suzuran National Park, Hokkaido, Japan (Photo by Charles MacAdam)

“The structures are strong as well as beautiful, utilizing specially constructed net which is resilient and responsive to the slightest movement,” Toshiko says on her site, NetPlayWorks. “Their innovative design allows tension to be maintained as the fiber stretches, thereby enabling children to play safely.”

Takino Suzuran National Park, Hokkaido, Japan (Photo by Charles MacAdam)

So, I have just one question …

Can I play too?