Playground #2
170 x 240 mm, 114 pages
Stockholm, Sweden (English language)
Biannual
First published 2023
Editor-in-chief and creative director: Austė Skrupskytė Cullbrand
Art direction and design: Deimante Saulytė and Mykolas Saulytis
‘An honest magazine for creative minds’ whispers the pleasingly understated cover of Playground, a smart newish title spotlighting and offering insights into Europe's creative industries, minus the ‘prestige, gatekeeping and even competitive silliness.’
Building on an impressive and smartly designed debut earlier this year, Playground returns with its lavender-hued sophomore issue, a slightly more personal affair as editor-in-chief Austė Skrupskytė Culbrand explains: ‘It's about childhood, memories, and nostalgia, and how they shape our thoughts and creations... At its core, it is also about people finding their playgrounds and elements of play—sometimes needing to slow down, sometimes needing to play more, or to play by different rules.’
Inside, essays on ‘word-building’ (edutainment or synergy, anyone?) and the complexities of cultural identity; conversations with Danish floral designer Julius Værnes Iverson, self-taught perfumer Maya Nije and landscape architect/gardener Ula Maria; plus a second round of the excellently titled ‘Creative Quickies’ featuring a CV of failed projects from Erikas Mališaukas.