Aldo Quingalahua Loor

Advisor: Mimi Locher

Geometric pattern of blue and gray triangles with origami shapes and climbing stick figures, conveying a dynamic and playful tone.
A geometric collage of blue and gray triangular shapes forms a textured background. Overlaid are silhouettes of figures in playful poses, with accompanying text titled "Ludus Aeternus: The Ageless Playground." The text discusses the concept of play in human history and its persistent role. The overall tone is conceptual and thought-provoking.
The Ageless Playground
Infographic titled 'Demographic Profile of Winnipeggers'. It features data on isolation (24.4%) and high-risk adolescents (40%). A graph shows the 85+ age group will more than double by 2049. Another chart highlights young adults as the largest age group. Overall tone is informative.
An age centered outlook though the demographic profile of Winnipeggers
Illustration of a goat playing a saxophone with playful, abstract line art. Text discusses the benefits of animal-assisted therapy using goats in Winnipeg.
The Third User. Why goats? Animals as a non judgemental presence
A collage juxtaposing technology and history. Left side depicts modern devices, drones, VR, and robotics.; right side shows historical art with sculptures, medieval scenes, and ancient activities. Conveys contrast between past and present.
The vertical time machine of play
Four abstract structures made of blue and gray triangular panels, arranged in varied formations against a white background. Geometric and modern.
Lets goat to the playmat. Methodology: Exploring architecture through self imposed rules and through play
Six maps showing network diagrams and colored zoning layouts. The top row features interconnected nodes with lines in red and blue. The bottom row displays diverse, color-coded areas overlaid on a city grid.
Finding the right site in the archipelago of loneliness. Voronoi´s methodology.
A four-panel image showing minimalist rooms with vertical light beams from narrow windows, casting sharp, angled shadows on the floors and walls.
A choreography of light. Light dances through the body.
Blue triangular tiles form a geometric pattern against a light background. The clean lines and cool tones create a modern, tranquil aesthetic.
Polygonal surface. A virtual space in the physical realm.

LUDUS AETERNUS
THE AGELESS PLAYGROUND

Play is not mere recreation. Ludos, which means play in Latin, is a radical idea of eternal vitality that has shaped existence itself from the dawn of life. It serves as an evolution bridge, embedded in our animalistic primal consciousness, and it has evolved beyond survival into this timeless act of connection.

Do we have a physical space that can embrace timeless forms of play? We live in an era where virtual realities blur the lines between presence and absence. We inhabit a paradoxical reality; humanity has never been more connected, yet we remain isolated from one another. Play has shifted from the physical playground to the digital screens. This hits the hardest among the elder community, as evidenced by Manitoba´s demographic profile, where approximately one quarter (24.4%) of Manitobans over 65 feel isolated from others “often” which is strikingly higher than any other Canadian province.1

A severance of connections, and a slow decay of rituals, have normalized isolation as a fact of life, as play has shifted from unstructured outdoor activities to more digital structured forms today. Across generations, seniors often face loneliness due to mobility issues or loss of social networks, while younger generations, Gen Z or millennials, deal with digital overload and mental health challenges. Can senior and younger generations share “ludos” together?

Play is universally fun and goes beyond survival. Play blurs boundaries: interior exterior, young-old, human-animal, analog-digital.2 Since the ancient wolf pup that was domesticated by the prehistoric human “ludos” has formed bonds across species. Animal assisted activities such as goat yoga could promote non verbal communication and physical wellness. Other passive forms of play could introduce a deep personal, introspective interaction in a space. “Ludos” serves as a mechanism that has always bonded people of different ages in this “vertical time machine of play” and reshaped spaces of this “ageless playground”. 

1.Manitoba Government “Demographic Profile of Older Manitobans “February 2023 page 15.
2.Johan Huizinga” Homo Ludens” 1983