There was a point in my life I started buying lesser toys, went to the shop less often. But that did not mean that play was abandoned. This was when I realised, that play belongs beyond toys. 

It appears when someone absentmindedly taps a rhythm on the table, moves their fingers to a song, uses an object the way it is not meant to be used. These are the moments that really need to be captured, as they are the beginnings of play. 

The Play Finders role feels close to this way of seeing. What is it about play that bypasses the restrictions of the context? Attempting to get to the answer resonates deeply with how I work. I move between mediums, collect the dots and try to connect them in unique ways. My background in music and sound can bring a lens of audio to the team, and my research and ethnography skills are suitable for documenting and articulating my findings.

I am interested in what causes that shift into play mode. What about the situation and the objects causes a person to move and think entirely differently, as if reorganising their behaviour, without being told to. 

Warm regards,

Vedant Manwadkar