A new exhibition The Brutalist Playground opens to the public on January 13, 2017 at the Vitra Design Museum Gallery in Weil am Rhein, Germany. The Brutalist Playground is just one part of 10 major exhibitions of Vitra Design Museum which has been announced in late December 2016. The exhibition can be visited until April 16, 2017.

Originally commissioned by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the exhibition explores various demolished Brutalist playgrounds in Britain interpreted with new hybrid architectural installations and walk-through sculptures for adults and children. 

Installation view The Brutalist Playground, S1 Artspace, Sheffield, 2016. Image © Alun Bull, courtesy of RIBA 

For this exhibition, the 2015 Turner-prize winning architectural collective Assemble and artist Simon Terrill have used archival material from the RIBA to recreate materiality and visual language of now lost Brutalist landscapes in new ways through an immersive and conceptual landscape.

Installation view The Brutalist, S1 Artspace, Sheffield, 2016. Image © Alun Bull, courtesy of RIBA 

Brutalist architecture is a controversial movement that originated in Britain shortly after World War II, bringing rise to expressive structures made of raw materials with an uncompromisingly rugged aesthetic. Throughout the country, preeminent architects erected large residential complexes, primarily in concrete, some of which featured unconventional play designs. 

The international phenomenon of Brutalism is currently being rediscovered and widely discussed. Many buildings are in a state of disrepair and threatened by demolition. Architects, historians and preservationists are revising the superficial understanding and evaluation of Brutalism. 

Installation view The Brutalist Playground, RIBA, London, 2015. Image © Tristan Fewings, courtesy of RIBA

The interactive presentation of The Brutalist Playground allows visitors to explore the original spatial concepts of this architectural style. In the exhibition, children can let their imaginations run wild, as architects once advocated, and adults are likewise invited to immerse themselves in the surrealistic playscapes of the post-war era and experience a new, unmitigated view of Brutalist architecture.

Installation view The Brutalist, S1 Artspace, Sheffield, 2016. Image © Alun Bull, courtesy of RIBA 

The exhibition was originally commissioned by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). All participants will be present at the opening on January 13, 2017 with introductory talks by Marie Bak Mortensen, Head of Exhibitions at the RIBA Architecture Gallery, and Jane Hall, a member of Assemble.

Installation view The Brutalist Playground, RIBA, London, 2015. Image © Tristan Fewings, courtesy of RIBA

Churchill Gardens Estate, Pimlico, 1978. Image © John Donat - RIBA Library Photographs Collection

Churchill Gardens Estate, Pimlico, 1956. Image © John Maltby - RIBA Library Photographs Collection

Installation view The Brutalist, S1 Artspace, Sheffield, 2016. Image © Alun Bull, courtesy of RIBA 

Top image: Installation view The Brutalist, S1 Artspace, Sheffield, 2016. Image © Alun Bull, courtesy of RIBA 

> via Vitra Design Museum