We’re delighted to present the Do you want to play? exhibition by Paul Whittaker and Tamsin Griffiths (Four in Four). By actively engaging with the interactive display, you will have the opportunity to explore the intricate dynamics of your relationships, be they personal or professional, and gain valuable insights into their significance in shaping our lives.
At the heart of this exhibition lies the philosophy of relationship-centred care, celebrating the understanding that meaningful connections with others play a pivotal role in nurturing our emotional, mental, and physical health. As you navigate through the interactive elements, you’ll discover how fostering positive and supportive relationships can profoundly enhance our overall wellbeing.
From the moment we are born, relationships and play are an integral part of how we engage and connect with the world. Not only are we influenced by the direct relationships we have with our families, friends, school teachers, our pets… Our sense of belonging is also influenced by the relationship we have with ourselves. How we relate to our histories, hopes, values, environment and everything beyond us, both real and imagined affects every aspect of our curiosity.
We form a relationship whenever we interact with another life, service, system, society or object through experimentation and play. As we grow we play less and accept more. Some relationships are easy but many are not. Some relationships we choose; some are chosen for us. Some bring us joy and others bring us pain… or sometimes both.
When we are vulnerable and in need of support or care, it can feel like we have been entered into an unfamiliar game and we accept the roles we are put in. It’s the same game that others around us are playing but we are playing by different rules. How often do we question or challenge these roles that we fall into?
Nobody can guarantee that we will climb more ladders than we slide down snakes but if we can’t avoid playing the relationship game shouldn’t we take the time to create a set of rules that recognises the values, preferences, and expectations of all the participants? Especially those relationships vital to our support and care?
So, if relationships are unavoidable and if a healthy relationship can improve our physical and mental well-being, strengthen our hearts and self-worth, shouldn’t we all be encouraged to roll the dice or take a chance to make them better?
With this exhibition we invite you to explore your relationships, the roles we play and the masks we wear. Do you want to play?
-Four in Four
