Street Tape Games at Queensbridge Square

By Emma Hartley

Strips of colourful tape will mark out a new game zone in Queensbridge Square on Saturday, July 10 where players are invited to play street games with social distancing in mind.

Street Tape Games was the brainchild of Helen Kwok who wants to bring Melburnians together post-lockdown.

She took inspiration from the tape used in public spaces for social distancing and posed the question – “Rather than looking at those social distancing tapes with fear, could we be playful about it?”

Fellow game designer Chad Toprak joined Ms Kwok to re-invent traditional playground games such as Tunnel-ball and What’s the time Mr Wolf? to suit a COVID-safe environment.

But Mr Toprak insisted the playground style games weren’t just for children, with adults having just as much fun during sessions of Street Tape Games.

“You’re bringing smiles to people’s faces,” Mr Toprak said. “You can see how much they’re enjoying themselves.”

The Southbank iteration of Street Tape Games was meant to happen in June but the snap lockdown postponed it.

Although the latest lockdown is behind us, many Melburnians are still hesitant about immediately returning to normal public activities.

“Even if we’re no longer in lockdown, projects like Street Tape Games are still relevant and artists should continue thinking about how they can contribute to helping people feel safe and comfortable,” Mr Toprak said.

Ms Kwok said that Street Tape Games built on the innovation that children have shown in the playground in response to COVID restrictions.

During her research, she discovered that kids had invented “shadow tag” where they would play tag by touching other people’s shadows.

Street Tape Games will take place on July 10 at Queensbridge Square with two sessions from 2pm to 3.30pm, and 4pm to 5.30pm •

For more information: streettape.games