Games Day
July 8th 2007
Hundreds of people flocked to Gillett Square to participate in Dalston’s first ever Games Day. This was Dalston showing another side of what it is and what it can be known for in all its diversity, inclusivity and good spirit. Along with all the other events in the square over the past year the Games Day event has demonstrated how Gillett Square can function as real community asset, with a bright future for all.
At noon proceedings kicked off when community police officers were spotted having a go on the swingball court before their patrol. Throughout the five-hour event people met over matches of Carrom, Chess and Boules. Universal Board Games filled the square’s stage with an extraordinary medley of games reflecting ancient traditions spanning the continents from Asia to Europe and beyond. Flickering movements of the black and white counters on their retro Othello boards triggered memories for some participants of playing games with their families back in the seventies!
Elsewhere in the square, a volunteer laid out exquisite hand-carved Oware sets from Africa allowing local people the opportunity to learn a fascinating game from the ‘pit and pebble’ family which is reputedly older than chess. Experts from Liverpool to Senegal furiously moved the smooth green seeds from bowl to bowl, with opponents ranging in age from seven to sixty. This intense cerebral activity was countered by Cuban salsa wafting into the square from the Vortex Jazz Club and by sumptuous Italian ice cream from Little Sardegna restaurant. More delicious food was available for the winners and losers at the on-site Caribbean and Japanese food stalls.
The intimacy of relationships sparked by the event was reflected in moments such one of LB Hackney’s street cleansing team pausing with players to share backgammon tips from his native Turkey. Mid-afternoon there was also a giant chess spectacle hosted by local Chess expert Malena Griffiths when pupils from Colvestone and William Patten schools showed off their skills by becoming human pieces! The local branch of Age Concern also hosted a canopied games saloon with a huge dominoes set and resident cribbage experts. Their space was reflective of the event as a whole, which encouraged inter-generational play and conversations across the boundaries of language, culture and age. The recurrent question from most people’s lips was “When can we come to Gillett Square and play again?”
Games Day was produced by Gillett Squared in association with the Vortex Jazz Club and East London Design Show.
Gillett Squared is the management group led by Hackney Co-operative Developments for arts and enterprise projects on Gillett Square.
