Daniel Samson and Paul Dhir

Gyan Chauper

Daniel Samson - Toronto, Canada
Paul Dhir - Toronto, Canada
Matthew Ryan Smith - Toronto, Canada

Interactive Installation

Gyan Chauper is an ancient game of morality originating in India during the 16th century. It was believed that an individual’s karma could directly affect their journey through the game, and was primarily intended to teach children about the differences between good and bad, virtue and vice. Over four hundred years later, in the 20th century, Gyan Chauper was appropriated by Great Britain where it soon became known and sold in the commercial market as the board game “Snakes and Ladders”. Since then, it has become a go-to for family fun and a fixture of Western popular culture. In this life-sized “Snakes and Ladders” game constructed for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, you become the playing piece and journey across the board.

Do you have the karma to win or lose?

A choreographer, an architectural project manager, and an art historian's homage to traditional board games and the cultural significance of play.

Learn More

www.gyanchauper.com

122

Fort York

100 Garrison Road (West of the Fort York walls.)

This project is outdoors.