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Lorna Mills and Sally McKay
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Joester has been talking about Johan Huizinga's book Homo Ludens on a recent thread. I'm interested in how similar Huizinga's characteristics of play are to potential descriptions of art. There are differences, of course, but charming cross-overs.
voluntary: "...all play is a voluntary activity."sidenote: L.M. claims to use the following quote as an error message, "Play only becomes possible, thinkable and understandable when an influx of mind breaks down the absolute determinism of the cosmos."
not ordinary life: "...play is not 'ordinary' or 'real' life. It is rather a stepping out of 'real' life into a temporary sphere of activity with a disposition all its own."
limitedness in time: "Play begins at a certain moment and then it is 'over.'"
repeated: "It is transmitted, it becomes tradition. It can be repeated at any time, whether it be 'child's play' or a game of chess or at fixed intervals like a mystery."
limitedness in space: "All play moves and has its being within a playground marked off beforehand either materially or ideally, deliberately or as a matter of course."
order: "...it creates order, it is order. Into an imperfect world and into the confusion of life it brings a temporary, limited perfection. Play demands order absolute and supreme. The least deviation from it 'spoils the game', robs it of its character and makes it worthless."
aesthetics: "Play has a tendency to be beautiful."
tension: "...testing of the player's prowess"
fairness: "...despite his ardent desire to win he must still stick to the rules of the game."
rules: "All play has its rules."