ArtPlay’s New Ideas Lab is an annually funded program that supports artists and children to work together to develop new arts experiences. Through New Ideas Lab we have participated to help the development of amazing works such as Cerita Anak, Invisible Light Garden and Rain.
Our most recent New Ideas Lab workshop was with London-based artist Poppy Green. Poppy, along with three other artists are part of a workshop series called ‘Destroy’.
The artists are using their own artistic practice to examine the idea whether destruction is, and inspires, the creative process. Destroy invites you to look, touch and pull artworks apart!
Poppy’s workshop was inspired the Whitechapel Gallery’s Children’s Commission by Eva Rothschild. The London-based Irish sculptor made a film which shows what happens when young boys are let loose in a gallery of her sculptures. They start with looking, then touching and proceed to total destroy and dismantle her works and create their own sculptures using the materials. Watch the film!
During our session we photograph, film and discuss the process the destruction and creation, starting with sheets of paper then moving to Poppy’s large scale sculptures using old helicopter windows. We used scissors, tape, markers, plasticine and sticks to add, remove and destroy elements.
The session runs for 3 hours and the children are mostly engaged throughout the process. They answer questions, work together, let their ideas flow and get excited about their creations.
The photographs and films will be part of an exhibition opening on Saturday 19 January at Artplay.
There are three remaining sessions of Destroy. On Thursday 10 January children age 9-12 years will work with Alistair Mason, who works mostly with steel nuts and bolts and plastic piping to create huge, amazing animals. On Saturday 12 January children aged 5-8 years will work with Kathy Holowko to unravel one of her sculptures. On Sunday 13 January graffiti artist George Rose will work with children age 9-12 years to explore when is graffiti art and when is it vandalism?
