Pictures don’t do justice to the work of artist Tom Luckey. Literally. Not for lack of skill on the part of the photographer, but because of the overwhelming scale of his installations which tend to fill entire rooms from floor to ceiling making it impossible to capture in full. Known to make children squeal with delight and parent’s arch their eyebrows in concern, Tom is the architect of fantasy jungle gyms.

Featuring ribbon-like platforms that appear to float in mid air connected only by a tangled web of netting, these site specific installations turn our ideas of playground equipment on its head. I spent some time watching kids parade like ants through the Luckey Climbers’ installation at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago which resembles a deconstructed tree house. Brilliantly creative, you’ll find Tom’s handiwork in more than a dozen cities around the country. Pay a visit to his website to see if there’s one near you.

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