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Feel like a kid again at this adult-size, plaid-patterned playground in Brooklyn

Part playground, part art.

Rossilynne Skena Culgan
Things to Do Editor
A person in a pastel tie-dye t-shirt swings at Plaid.
Photograph: Courtesy of Plaid
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At most art galleries, the most movement visitors get to do is shuffling from painting to painting. But at this new exhibit in Brooklyn, you can slide, climb, swing, crawl and spin. 

Plaid, a show by Cj Hendry, invites all to embrace their inner child on a plaid-patterned playground she calls a “PLAIDground.” The labyrinth playground occupies a 5,000-square-foot space in Greenpoint. 

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The colorful exhibit includes a ball pit, a foam pit, punching bags, a jungle gym, trampolines and foam cube swings—all decorated in green, pink, purple, yellow and blue hues. Fitting the theme, everybody gets grippy plaid socks when they enter.

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A post shared by Cj Hendry (@cj_hendry)

Hendry’s exhibits seek to connect adults with their inner child. This is her 10th show, with her past exhibits including a monochrome-colored home built in a Brooklyn warehouse and another warehouse full of sand with a scavenger hunt.

"[They're meant to] evoke and encourage the viewer to connect with their inner child and experience the simplicity of those emotions of joy and euphoria before growing up and feeling the burden of adulthood," Hendry said in a statement.   

A foam pit at Plaid.
Photograph: Courtesy of Plaid

For “Plaid,” the artist wanted to combine the concept of a children’s playground and a public art sculpture.

"I enjoy creating conceptual exhibitions that take elements of the series and blow them up on a massive scale. I would love for each original artwork to only be able to be viewed as the entire experience. It brings such a greater depth to the genre of hyperrealism," Hendry continued. "On a selfish level, I am bored by traditional galleries hanging artworks on white walls. I want to really understand the artist's vision and that's what I try to create with my exhibitions." 

A gallery of plaid paintings at the exhibit.
Photograph: Courtesy of Plaid

If you're looking for an art-on-white-walls experience, there's also a section of the exhibit with Hendry's plaid drawings. The Brooklyn-based, Australian-raised artist boasts a celebrity clientele with a list of well over 3,000 collectors who wait up to five years to get their hands on a piece.

To find the PLAIDground, head to the corner Calyer and Newel Street (220 Newel Street, specifically) in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The show will run from April 14-23, 10-6pm. April 14-16 is ticketed and now sold out, but April 17-23 is non-ticketed and open to the public with a $10/person entry fee. In addition to artwork, plaid merch like scarves and puzzles will be available for purchase.

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