Board Game Art Park

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Board Game Art Park is an art installation actually titled "Your Move," by artists Daniel Martinez, Renee Petropoulis and Roger White. Created in 1996 and dedicated in 1997, "Your Move" is a playful scattering of giant metal and fiberglass board game pieces on the gridded plaza around Philadelphia's Municipal Services Building -- Pantagruel-scale dominoes, chess pieces, Parcheesi, and Monopoly pieces.

We assume the artists' intent, beyond whimsical counterpoint to the gray surroundings, is to poke fun at Philadelphia government and bureaucracy. The mixed up game pieces are like the mess on a kid's bedroom floor. It's hard to follow the rules when so many games are all mixed up.

Philadelphians efficiently shortcut across the plaza between the pieces, or use a giant checker or bingo chip to rest a bit.