Temporarily installed in Praça Raul Soares, in the heart of Belo Horizonte, the artistic intervention Brincacidade was part of the 2024 edition of the CURA Urban Art Festival. The installation invited children and their caregivers—often overlooked in urban dynamics—to engage with public space in a playful and sensory way. Inaugurated in 1936, the square is a protected heritage site listed by IEPHA and is surrounded by notable architecture, including Oscar Niemeyer’s iconic Edifício JK.

Strategically placed on the central lawn to preserve the Portuguese stone mosaic sidewalks—decorated with Marajoara and Art Deco patterns—the intervention aimed to respect and enhance the historical character of the site.

Brincacidade created a sensory and interactive playscape. Eight colorful metal portals, oriented toward the eight avenues that radiate from the circular square, defined a permeable boundary. Inside, four metallic totems with colorful PVC tubes encouraged tactile and visual exploration, while a vibrant yellow central core—formed by 1,200 meters of nautical ropes—stimulated free movement, communication, and analog play.

Over the 11 days of the festival, the installation became a temporary urban landmark that drew a diverse public, day and night. Through color, geometry, and participation, Brincacidade reimagined the public realm through the lens of childhood, fostering reflection on play as a form of urban coexistence and collective imagination.

“To protect childhood is to protect the collective ability to imagine futures.”