The joy of jumping on the bed

By Ingrid Fetell Lee

Yes, that is Desmond Tutu in the midst of all those children jumping on a bed! For a project called Play Jump Eat, Kelly Wainwright of Messy Monkey Arts managed to coax not just the Reverend Archbishop, but also fishermen, surfers, schoolkids, and others to let go of their inhibitions and be photographed in odd situations, bed-jumping.

Jumping on the bed is an example of a joyful pleasure at its most democratic: an activity that is accessible to nearly everyone. It’s a childish pleasure, one we associate with being small in the expanse of our parents’ beds, but it can be rediscovered at any time. (Confession: I sometimes can’t resist a jump or two in a hotel room.) There’s just something so totally liberating about jumping; it’s a slightly transgressive, freeing feeling that brings laughter and optimism up to the surface. Even just looking at these photos evokes a vicarious burst of delight!

I hope the full series will eventually be posted online. Read more about the project here.

{Via @vpostrel}

Update: Kelly pointed out to me that prints are available here and that a portion of the proceeds benefit the Tertia Kindo Arts Project, a children’s dance school. The comments also made me realize that I failed to credit Inge Prins, the photographer on the project. Lovely work!

April 4th, 2010

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    Discussion (4 Comments)

  1. Kelly Wainwright on April 5, 2010

    Ingrid – hello, & thanks for this! This is Kelly – the originator/conceptualist/producer of the PLAYJUMPEAT project. It seems as tho we have a lot in common, & are most definitely on the same page when it comes to the “aesthetics of joy”! 🙂
    Please send your readers/followers to: http://www.playjumpeat.com
    I have 15 of 32 of my images up for sale (all limited edition prints on A4-sized archival paper), with a percentage going to the Tertia Kindo Arts Project, a children’s dance school in a “previously disadvantaged” neighborhood in Cape Town.
    More pics will be up even later this week.
    Keep Jumping! 🙂
    Kelly

    Reply
  2. Kelly Wainwright on April 6, 2010

    oops!
    A2-SIZE archival paper!
    We are printing all the images as limited edition prints of 30 (Tutu edition of 11) on A2-sized archival paper.
    More pics are being added by tomorrow to the http://www.playjumpeat.com site!
    thanks!
    Kelly

    Reply
  3. Inge Prins on April 8, 2010

    Hello Ingrid, Im the photographer who shot all the above images that you posted. Kelly and me have been working together for over a year on this project. She dreamt up the concepts and I translated them into photographic images.
    Glad you enjoyed them! Play and Joy is where its at – lets create positive energy in the world.
    Inge

    Reply

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