Tinderbox Collective hosts conference & exhibition exploring the intersections between creative technology & game-design with arts, education & community work
Sat 24 October 2026 10:00 – 16:45 at Out of the Blue
- Tinderbox Collective hosts one-day conference and exhibition exploring the intersection of creative technology, games, the arts, education and community sectors.
- What happens when artists, game designers, educators, technologists and community organisers get into the same room? Who gets to shape the technologies entering our schools, cultural spaces and everyday lives? How can artists create work that’s not only interesting, but useful, playful and genuinely for people?
- Expect inspiring talks, thought-provoking panels, interactive exhibits and plenty of opportunities to share ideas, spark conversations and make new connections
- Tech experience both welcome and not needed – open to artists, designers, educators, youth & health workers, and researchers
PlayAway is back with a one-day gathering for anyone curious about where creative technology, games and interactive media meet the arts, education and community work.
Expect honest conversations, practical demos, new ideas and plenty of time to meet the people behind the work. You don’t need to be a tech expert – or any kind of expert – to take part. Come with questions, share what you’re working on and have a look around.
Talks and panels will feature artists and organisations such as Olesya Ilenok, Martin Disley, Farhad Ahmed, Drake Music Scotland, Datakirk, Youth Link Scotland, Produced Moon, Visible Fictions, Biome Collective and more.
Hear about immersive musical experiences for children in hospitals, how creative technology can help organisations connect with communities, and how emerging technologies such as AI might interact with this work.
Tinderbox Collective will be hosting a ticketed conference and a free exhibition of digital works. Exhibits include Tamagotchi Seance #3: Memory Garden, Nick Murray’s experimental narrative game inviting players to build a collaborative memory garden; Stone Life I, II & III, Iona Zawinski’s playful interactive sculptures; Lowtek Lightbook, Alastair Low’s pop-up game book where players interact through a projected character; and Phone Call from the Edge of the Universe, Lucy Middleton’s narrative game played through a phone booth.
The day will finish with an informal get together at Leith Victoria Bar, offering the chance to continue conversations, share ideas and make new connections.
Tinderbox Collective Senior Producer Luci Holland says: “It’s great to be bringing communities together to explore these topics, and to share the learning and work within them.
“We ran the first PlayAway online during the pandemic in 2021, and so much has changed since then. Now feels like the right time to be diving back into these questions and starting new conversations about technology and how it can be used creatively across different sectors.”
PlayAway for a Day takes place Saturday 24 October 2026, 10am-4.45pm.
Tickets (£10 and pay-what-you-can) are on sale at