Paola Pivi on Why We Can No Longer Play in Today's Society
The renowned artist reflects on her childhood memories in Italy and how the loss of privacy and digital surveillance have stripped away our freedom to play.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Contrasting the meaning of play between the past and present
- Wild childhood memories in Gallarate, Italy
- How the loss of privacy diminishes human freedom and creativity
In the last century, society placed immense value on keeping the inner child alive and recognizing the importance of play. Artist Paola Pivi recalls that while her artworks were often defined as playful by others, to her, that approach was simply normal. However, she notes that the rules of society have drastically shifted today.
Suddenly, play is no longer sought after, and modern humans can no longer truly play. Everything we type and say is permanently recorded and can be used against us, making even political opinions frightening to hold, particularly at international borders. The genuine freedom to test things and observe outcomes has vanished from our daily routines.
Analytical insight: Pivi's observation on the loss of play highlights the broader cultural impacts of the surveillance state and digital footprint tracking. When every action is logged and weaponizable, individuals self-censor, losing the safe psychological spaces necessary for experimentation, artistic expression, and genuine human connection.
Growing up as a child in Gallarate in Ronchi, Italy, Pivi lived in a massive white condominium surrounded by green lawns and clover fields. She and her peers spent long summer months outdoors from morning until late at night, engaging in various imaginative games like squeezing tightly into a small elevator just to experience it together.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Their adventures also included running away from the solitary doorman who would chase them, exploring underground storage corridors, crouching behind a circular glass reception desk to watch visitors bump into the walls, and hanging from balconies while friends threw balls at their lined-up bodies.
"Play is walking the line, trying to be skittles, waiting to see what happens in a glass entryway."
Paola Pivi
According to Pivi, playful activities are rarer today, and people long for them less because we have lost our sense of privacy and a crucial portion of our freedom, compounded by the constant influx of atrocities and grim news delivered straight to our mobile phones.
Source: designboom
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