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Playable worlds newsletter #2

Playable worlds newsletter #2

I'm never doing this again

Sophie Allerding
October 06, 2025

Last month I had the pleasure to collaborate with seven other fantastic artists to create a happening titled The invitation says from 7-9 I’m never doing this again. We were inspired by the Queen of the Night (Epiphyllum oxypetalum), a cactus which only blooms once a year for one night, more of an event than a flower. And so we created an ephemeral place, attempting to cater to all senses, blending a soirée with an art show. Images can only convey a hint, a glimpse of what happened, but I will share them below. First, I want to share some upcoming playable experiences I am running, spread the word and join me, if you’d like to .

12.10.25 - LARPing the future neighbourhood at engage Rotterdam.

Rotterdam is under pressure—socially, economically and culturally. Existing systems fail to address the problems many Rotterdammers face. Engage believes that artists and city shapers play an important role in addressing the big questions of today. Therefore they started engage as a gathering to connect different agents, to start from what is already going on, and keep moving in what is yet to come. On Sunday the 12th of October from 2-4 PM I will give a workshop introducing LARP as a tool for collaborative storytelling and future making. Sign up for the workshop here.

Starting 15.10.25 - .zip Playground

With my dearest collaborator Louisa Teichmann we are running regular play sessions at .zip in Rotterdam to test out and play collaborative storytelling games ranging from LARP to TTRPPGs. We are back after a long summer break. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend subscribing to the zip-newsletter (you can choose to subscribe to the playground NL additionally). The upcoming dates are 15.10, 19.11, 03.12, 10.12. Additionally there is a hack-LARP experiment coming up on 31.01-01.02.26. Find more details here.

Starting 31.10.25 - LARP as a tool for prepping otherwise at Garage School, Kunstinstituut Melly

I am more than excited to be part of the Garage School Prepping Otherwise held in the Kunstinstiuut Melly from October till March 2026.

The Garage School is an informal study program that facilitates (un)learning processes using knowledge and tools that are emergent, peripheral or informal. This iteration, titled Prepping Otherwise, led by Kari Robertson and Santiago Piñol, creatively explores ‘prepping’ for collective survival against a backdrop of increased global crises and militarisation. The focus lies on finding alternatives to the prepper culture defined by those in power (top-down, ableist, individualistic) and to the apocalyptic futures shown in the media. I will contribute my experience using LARP as a method of research, collaborative storytelling, and future-making. The school is for a fixed group, however the goal is to make as much knowledge explored within the school open to the public. How and when exactly our LARP explorations will be open to the public is still under discussion. If you are in Rotterdam and interested in joining, reach out to me, I will keep you updated.

And now finally some impressions from The Invitation Says from 7–9 I’m Never Doing This Again, contributing artists Yara Veloso, Nabila Ernada, Mila Broomberg, Lucila Pacheco Dehne, Isabel Legate, Colette Aliman, Anna Bierler and me. Photos taken by Hilde Speet (edited by me for this newsletter).

One of my water whistle next to the work “Sheets of Skin and Metal Peel Away”, dye on silk by Isabel Legate.

One of my fountains. In the back “Root || tree” Handwoven cotton and linen, wooden frame by Yara Veloso. On the right another of my water whistles.

I showed my new work Songs for the Renewal consisting of sound-triggered ceramic fountains, whistles and water whistles. This installation is based on the ceremony known as “songs for the renewal”, which is performed to invoke health, prosperity, recovery, and joy. The details of the ceremony are unrecorded and unknown. I use the installation to collectively imagine and re-enact how the ceremony could take place using whistling sounds and water.

Whistles that trigger the fountains. Participants in the ceremony each received one to play with.

A moment from “Egg Jump” a performance by Anna Bierler. On the floor you see a broken egg. During the performance Anna was dressing on a dress that would rip apart the more she would dress it on.