Colorful geometric mural with sections in orange, yellow, green, blue, and pink, separated by white lines on a wall.

Project

Date

Location

Material
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Function

Team
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PAINT POOL

2021

Beirut, Lebanon

HDF
Paint

Public Playground

Etienne Bastormagi
Sandra Richani
Nada Borgi

  • A Sunken Pool is a site-specific paint installation within a school playground in Beirut, designed as both a visual and functional intervention. Rooted in the philosophy of Let’s Play, this project transforms the space through bold painted forms, redefining how children interact with their everyday environment.

Colorful playground with geometric patterns on the ground, green railings, stairs, and a blue slide.
A white building with green window frames and arched windows, featuring a clock tower at the top. The foreground is a colorful painted basketball court with pink, yellow, green, blue, and orange sections.
Colorful school playground with rainbow-colored walkways and benches, viewed from a covered area.
Colorful outdoor basketball court with vibrant geometric patterns surrounded by residential buildings.
Colorful outdoor basketball court with a tangled net hanging from a rusty basketball hoop, surrounded by multi-story buildings with green windows and balconies, under a partly cloudy sky.
Colorful basketball court with vibrant geometric patterns, surrounded by a school or building with arched windows, fenced sports area, and blue wall with a circular cutout in the foreground.
  • At its core, the installation employs paint not just as a medium for aesthetics but as a catalyst for movement, imagination, and play.

    Inspired by the notion of a "sunken pool"—a metaphorical and visual device—the painted patterns create an illusion of depth, topography, and fluidity, inviting children to explore, jump, trace, and invent their own games.

    The intervention extends beyond passive observation; it activates the playground through a series of structured and open-ended activities that encourage physical engagement, storytelling, and collective play.

    By reimagining the playground as a dynamic, interactive surface, A Sunken Pool challenges traditional notions of play areas. The painted forms do not dictate a single use but instead offer an evolving landscape that responds to the creativity of those who inhabit it. In doing so, the project underscores the power of simple, low-tech interventions in reshaping communal spaces and fostering spontaneous interaction.