Abstract
While design for play has shown how materials invite and shape engagement, less attention has been given to how material encounters may hold participation over time. This article examines how participation is sustained through material–affective dynamics in early childhood play. Drawing on Spinoza’s (1985) concept of potentia, Ahmed’s (2004a, 2010a, 2010b) notion of stickiness, and Slaby et al.’s (2019) affective arrangements, the study explores how capacities and orientations unfold in situated encounters. Based on design-based research in Danish daycare, the analysis centers on a vignette in which a child remains in shared play through engagement with tape. The analysis shows how materials can sustain participation by gathering attention and holding relations long enough for new forms of engagement to emerge. The article contributes a more precise account of how materials participate in sustaining play and introduces “sticky vitalities” as a sensitizing term.
Keywords
play; participation; material-affective dynamics; affective arrangements
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2640
Citation
Skriver, J., and Skovbjerg, H.M. (2026) Sticky Vitalities: Developing Play Design Sensitivities Through Material-Affective Practices, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2640
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Sticky Vitalities: Developing Play Design Sensitivities Through Material-Affective Practices
While design for play has shown how materials invite and shape engagement, less attention has been given to how material encounters may hold participation over time. This article examines how participation is sustained through material–affective dynamics in early childhood play. Drawing on Spinoza’s (1985) concept of potentia, Ahmed’s (2004a, 2010a, 2010b) notion of stickiness, and Slaby et al.’s (2019) affective arrangements, the study explores how capacities and orientations unfold in situated encounters. Based on design-based research in Danish daycare, the analysis centers on a vignette in which a child remains in shared play through engagement with tape. The analysis shows how materials can sustain participation by gathering attention and holding relations long enough for new forms of engagement to emerge. The article contributes a more precise account of how materials participate in sustaining play and introduces “sticky vitalities” as a sensitizing term.