HOOPcycle exhibit in Chicago is about right to play
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HOOPcycle. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
A new mobile art exhibit and game in Chicago is a reminder that play is a right, not a privilege.
The big picture: HOOPcycle combines elements of a Mayan form of basketball, the current game and a tricycle that allows players to create their own rules and interpretations.
Why it matters: Artist Marisa Morán Jahn and architect Rafi Segal created the mobile game to create a sense of play and recreation wherever it's stationed, which is currently in the parking lot of the National Public Housing Museum (NPHM) in Little Italy.
What they're saying: "We all deserve a good home, good infrastructure and roads, and along with that, equitable and safe and inspiring places to play. When we're thinking about recreational equities it's oftentimes where low-income communities get looked over," Morán Jahn tells Axios.
How it works: The Mesoamerican basketball hoop was vertical as opposed to the current one which sits horizontal and players used a 13-pound rubber ball. The HOOPcycle has two vertical hoops and one horizontal hoop.
Yes, but: There are no set rules; each player is encouraged to shoot a modern-sized basketball however they choose and make up any rules or objectives they choose.
If you go: The HOOPcycle is open to the public at the end of this month at the NPHM.
- The goal is to bring it to more locations but Morán Jahn and Segal don't know where it will go next.