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Emerging Designer Commission: Playfool The Server
Drawing on the museum’s routine practice of object cleaning, the artist-design unit Playfool explores systems of care in the age of AI acceleration.
Our online lives unfold as a constant stream of stimulation. Behind the restlessness lies a quiet physical infrastructure. Data centres keep our world running, and the AI race has accelerated their construction. In UK alone, nearly 100 new facilities are reportedly planned for completion in 2030. Highly automated, Playfool zeroes in on the one task in these places that resists automation: cleaning.
Through alternative game design approaches, Playfool encourages visitors to explore the physical upkeep that sustains both the museum collections and the AI infrastructure, reflecting on what has been overlooked in the pursuit of progress.
Visitors are invited to participate in the act of maintenance and care.
Visitors are invited to participate in the act of maintenance and care.
Co-founded by Daniel Coppen and Saki Maruyama, Playfool is the recipient of V&A’s annual Emerging Design Commission. Their practice explores the transforming dynamic between human agency and technology through the medium of play, inviting critical reimagination of technology.
The new commission was curated by Carrie Chan and produced by Katya Spiers.
Part of V&A x LDF 2026
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Header image: The Server (Digital render, 2026), Playfool