The Glue Society has created a new playground in Korea for Nike and Wieden + Kenndy Tokyo to make activity more inclusive for students. The project includes a film and experiential campaign directed by The Glue Society’s Paul Bruty and Luke Nuto. The Glue Society’s work includes playground design, event design, and film direction.
In Korea, there are generations of kids who have grown up feeling unwelcome in the world of sport. While the best players hog the playground, the boys and girls who are less athletic just watch on from the sidelines. Nike wanted to change all that. So, it commissioned The Glue Society to create the Playground for All, a mixed-use sporting playground where the normal rules don’t apply.
Luke Nuto explained, “We were asked to design a Playground For All that would encourage participation to reluctant teens who would usually feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in a sporting environment. In particular Korean girls are generally resigned to school life looking in from the sporting sidelines. But in the name of progress, Nike wanted to change all that.”
The idea behind the project was to create a fun and inviting space that disrupts convention, encouraging kids to step out onto the playground and try new sports, with the goal of progress over perfection. The unique playground design covers a number of sports basketball, football, baseball and running, but breaks the rules to evoke the freedom to disrupt the normal sporting codes – and the status quo.
Paul Bruty commented, “We took the designs of a basketball court, football pitch, baseball diamond and running track and combined them into one. To create a structure that could support basketball hoops, football goals and baseball netting, we extended the court markings into the vertical space. A bright palette contrasted the surrounding utilitarianism of the school – marking the difference between the old and new way of thinking.”
The playground was installed under the shroud of darkness. The following day, the students at Yongma Middle School in Korea were surprised to find that their old playground had been turned into a completely new one, Playground for All. The team then introduced the kids to the new Playground for All with an action-packed day of play featuring Nike athletes and ambassadors, that guided the children through a day of inclusivity and affirmation in celebration of the campaign line, Progress Is Never Done.
The campaign film, documents all the real moments of their fear, joy and achievements to demonstrate that the more they play together, the more possibilities they discover. To encourage a mixed-media approach, The Glue Society gave each of the kids disposable cameras for them to capture the event through their eyes.
“We had experience working with the talented W+K Tokyo team in the past and knew how committed they were to creating something truly special,” Nuto noted.
Miraculously, the playground was designed and built in a matter of weeks, to meet a swift deadline while wet weather loomed.
Bruty continued, “We were thankful for W+K Tokyo and Nike’s commitment and bravery to making it happen. A lesser agency and client would have pulled the pin as the storm clouds brewed overhead. But we were collectively committed to the creative outcome.”
Scott Dungate, executive creative director, W&K Tokyo, added, “We were very excited to work together with the Glue Society on another experiential project in Korea. As always they worked collaboratively with our team, and really pushed the idea visually, with the design of the playground, the multimedia texture of the film, and most importantly the experience of the day itself. Everyone had fun, which I think you can feel in the work.”
Credits:
Client: Nike Korea
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Tokyo
Executive Creative Director: Scott Dungate
Creative Directors: Phillip Cho & Curro de la Villa
Copywriter: Sohyun An
Art Directors: Chaeyeong Seo & Diana Ganea
Senior Copywriter: Nedal Ahmed
Lead Producer: Jennifer Chien
Account Director: Jordan Cappadocia
Account Supervisor: Kaede Ose
Assistant Account Executive: Ryu Kaida
Producers: Siyun Kim, Reiko Kawaguchi, Yoko Onodera & Aaron Younglae Cho
Production: Nine Tailed Fox & Revolver
Directing Collective: The Glue Society
Directors &Installation Designers: Paul Bruty & Luke Nuto
Cinematography: Jordan Maddocks
Editing: Ross Hallard @ Trim
VFX: The Mill, Shanghai
Grade: Mikey Rossiter @ Rare Medium
Sound Design: King Lear Music
Music Composer: Alex Epton
