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In 1933 Isamu Noguchi designed his first playground, Play Mountain a groundbreaking proposal to use the earth as a sculptural object. The plan was rejected by New York Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, who also would foil Noguchi's playground at the United Nations Headquarters (1952). Noguchi's last attempt to build a playground in New York was a collaboration with architect Louis Kahn on a project for Riverside Drive Park (1961-66), rejected by the city government after five redesigns. The only Noguchi playground to be completed in his lifetime was Playscapes in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, Georgia (1975-76). Noguchi designed play sculpture for all of his playgrounds, including the 400-acre Moere Numa Park in Sapporo, Japan, whose master plan the artist finished before his death and which presently is under construction. Along with his gardens and other landscape projects, the playgrounds of Isamu Noguchi are aspects of what he called "the sculpture of spaces", whose goal is to make sculpture a useful part of everyday life.
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