Well it was supposed to be for the children – an installation called “Tangle” in the forecourt of the Arts Centre here in the heart of Melbourne. It has been entertaining the public here in Melbourne before heading over to Adelaide for a session in February and is put together by Polyglot Theatre.

We arrived half an hour before the session began and families were already lining up.

By the time 2.30pm arrived there were so many people in the queue that they had to run two 30 minute sessions instead the usual 70 minute one!

When the hordes were let in they were given a big squishy ball of soft elastic each.

Then they raced over to a grove of wooden golden poles and wound that elastic around and around.

It went round poles and people’s bodies. Everyone ducked under and over the quickly growing mat of elastic. They swung from it and pulled it out as far as they could – it was frenetic, but controlled.

There were youngsters, and oldies and all those in between.

They also catered for babies with a mini version …

and entertained the people patiently waiting on the street for their turn.

When it was time for a change over, everyone was invited to push the elastic right down to make a mat, probably to make it easier to get out as many looked seriously tangled up in there.

Before the next group came in excitedly clutching their ball of elastic, the whole mat was pushed up to join the mats from the other sessions to create a thick, multi coloured roof.

We didn’t go in but rather were observers and photographers on the edges, and as the families went past us the ADULTS were saying, “WOW, that was SO much fun!!”

 Adults love to play too – seriously!