Toy Designer Cas Holman at Center Rog: On the Radicality of Play and the Power of Collaboration

Holman will be in Ljubljana with a lecture titled The Radicality of Play and a two-day workshop for designers, architects, educators, and anyone interested in how play can become a fundamental tool for connecting people and enhancing creativity.

For over two decades, Cas Holman has been developing tools and systems that encourage open, creative, and inclusive play. Her design practice is based on understanding play as a fundamental part of human development—not just in childhood but throughout life. She is the founder of Heroes Will Rise, a studio that promotes creativity and collaboration among children. Her toys are designed to allow free play without the limitations of traditional gender roles, with her most well-known creation being the modular Rigamajig system, used worldwide. She frequently collaborates with artists, teachers, designers, and schools, believing that well-designed play tools can build a better society.

Cas Holman may be best known to the Slovenian public from the Netflix documentary series Abstract: The Art of Design, in which she unveils her philosophy and practice. In the series, she emphasizes that play must be a safe environment for exploration, collaboration, and even failure - and that it is through play that more inclusive ways of being can be built: "When we provide children with tools and materials and trust them to use them in their own way, we encourage them to imagine new uses and, without fear of failure, create objects from their imagination. This gives them a sense of their own power."

Masterclass: Creative Exploration in Direct Dialogue with the Mentor

The central part of Cas Holman's visit will be a two-day masterclass, held on April 23 and 24. It is intended for everyone interested in how the principles of play can be transferred to their work - whether in the fields of spatial design, object creation, educational processes, or community practices. Participants will, through hands-on work and direct dialogue with the mentor, develop their own ideas, explore the meaning of play as a method, and create a full-size prototype that they will test in an open play setting at the end. The workshop, held in small groups at the Center Rog workshops, will allow for intense experience and knowledge exchange and will be a unique opportunity to work with a designer who usually operates in an international environment.

Registrations for the masterclass are still open, but the number of spots is limited.

Registration and More Information

Lecture: Play as a Space for Radical Ideas

Cas Holman's visit to Center Rog will begin on Monday, April 22, at 6 PM with a public lecture titled The Radicality of Play, held in the Small Hall of Center Rog. The lecture will be open to the public and will present the key principles of the designer’s work - how she understands play as a space for building trust, exploring different leadership methods, and creating inclusive communities. There are still a few spots available, registration is mandatory, and participation is free.

More information and registration for the lecture

Photo: Jason Greene (archive of Cas Holman)