I’m just trying to be a kid (again; or, maybe for the first time) is a performance, video, and zine project that uses playgrounds and noise to convey the (sometimes) heaviness of play. It grapples with the difficulty of childhood through an unapologetic return to the playground. Technically, the project transforms playgrounds into noise instruments using microphones, transducers, and other technologies in order to sonify the sounds of play. Audience members are encouraged to expand their aesthetic range (e.g., unfamiliar sounds, bodily movements, etc) and engage playgrounds in a new way to reclaim childlike imagination for healing.

Performance and installation by Meredith Kooi and Kenji Garland.
Video documentation by Otto Ohle.
Technical consulting by Jen Kutler.