Where does children’s freedom begin – and where does it quietly end? Do children truly own even a small part of public space, or do we only lend it to them temporarily?

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Childhood Territories series captures the world of children in public space. It is not about nostalgia or an idealized vision of childhood – but a contemporary visual essay exploring the tension between spontaneity and structure, freedom and supervision, movement and rules.

Playgrounds, once rougher and more dangerous, never bothered us as children. We were free, dirty, and happy. Today, they are carefully designed, safe, colorful, and under constant supervision. Children love them – drawn to the colors, soft surfaces, and shapes. But with every new safety standard, it feels as though we also instill in them the idea that perfection, order, and control matter more than freedom. In all of this, where is the space for imagination, natural movement, and resilience? Each photograph in this series captures the subtle paradoxes of contemporary childhood: the presence of an adult who protects, controls, or quietly observes. Symmetry, boundaries, constructions – all remind us that even play is no longer entirely without limits.

 

The photographs were taken in the summer of 2025 in Prague, during the author’s daily walks with her two young daughters. The project is not a product of imagination, but the result of patient observation and deep presence. The children were photographed in that specific place and moment – their movement, gestures, and relationship to space are authentic. The final compositions were created by merging multiple frames from a single location – not for effect, but to capture the full atmosphere that might otherwise be lost in a single shot. It is not about idealization, but about the poetry of reality – the quiet unrest, the longing for freedom, and the imprint of rules that shape everyday public space.

 

The series asks:

• How much space do we give to children today?

• How much trust do we place in them?

• What image of the world do we pass on through these structures?

• And how can we find a balance between the safety we give them – and the freedom they so deeply need?