Plork! A foundation for playful making

In their 1992 book Learning By Heart: Teachings to free the creative spirit, artist and educator Corita and co-author Jan Steward introduce the concept of ‘plork’ - “the ecstasy we feel when work and play are one” (p. 159). My PhD research takes this academically overlooked concept and, through theoretical, contextual, and practice-research, re-conceptualises it for contemporary arts practice and pedagogy. PlayLearn 24 provided an opportunity to introduce this re-conceptualisation to an audience of play-related professionals based in Higher Education - and beyond - in a playful, joyful way. This article presents a condensed version of the theoretical and contextual foundation for plork, arguing for a contemporary definition that supports its systematic use for creative production. Finally, it demonstrates some of the learning gleaned from surveys taken post-workshop. It was seen that very few participants had pre-existing knowledge of plork, but that the workshop provided an engaging introduction that encouraged participants to consider engaging more consciously with playfulness as a productive practice going forward.