Human Playground: Why We Play

Author: Hannelore Vandenbussche 

Format: Hardback | 288 pages

Dimensions: 10.16 x 1.18 x 12.67 inches | 5.23 pounds

Publication date: October 25, 2022

• A spectacular book of photographs of sports and games, rituals and traditions 
• A major streaming service will broadcast a six-part series accompanying the book in May/June 2022, narrated by the well-known actor Idris Elba
• Little-known sports from around the world are introduced to a broader public for the first time

Why do we play games? That is the question Belgian photographer Hannelore Vandenbussche decided to explore, traveling to numerous countries to roam the world of sports, passion, athletic competition, transition, and emancipation. The athletes she portrays keep old traditions alive or carve out new territory, perform rituals, and celebrate with boisterous parties centered around their games.

Meet Buzkashi players astride their horses in Central Asia, Donga stick fighters in Ethiopia, Tarahumara runners in Mexico, big wave surfers in Nazaré, and many other athletes in these unusual sports. These unique photographs capture athletes from both indigenous cultures in remote parts of the globe and from familiar, Western cultures. They poignantly convey how old traditions are kept alive and new ones are carved out, how rites of passage, ritual, and celebration are all part of the culture of play.

Human Playground showcases a hugely diverse range of sports from places as far-flung as Mongolia and Madagascar, from jockeys in Dubai to land divers in Vanuatu. This extraordinary book of photographs is dedicated to a subject that is being presented in an entirely new way.