Play KX
2018–20
Play KX was a free to access play project based near King’s Cross run by Assemble Play. Set up with the support of the King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership in 2018, Play KX served the communities that use the area to the north of King’s Cross Station and beyond.
©️ Julie Jafinthebox
In the summertime it largely took place in Lewis Cubitt Park and in the winter it moved around between Central Saint Martins’ ‘Crossing’, the Handyside Canopy and other nearby covered or sheltered spaces.
Assemble Play is a part of Assemble made up of small team of Playworkers led by Penny Wilson, author of the Playwork Primer.
The Playworkers aimed to create an environment where visiting children could play freely with behaviour that is freely chosen, personally directed, and intrinsically motivated.
The Play KX sessions did not rely on fixed play infrastructure, like in playgrounds, but used ‘loose parts’, a term coined by Simon Nicholson and which in Penny’s words are ‘anything that can be moved around, carried, rolled, lifted, piled on top of one another, or combined to create interesting and novel structures and experiences.’
PlayKX as a project has now finished. However if you are interested in the work of Assemble Play you can follow them on instagram here to hear about new projects and collaborations.