HOT: Light Pickers by Polyglot Theatre, Artplay, Melbourne

Light Pickers is an interactive art installation and performance by Melbourne-based Polyglot Theatre which is being presented at ArtPlay as part of the Moomba Festival 2020. The publicity blurb says that Light Pickers is for a recommended age of 0 to 5 – which made me very curious.

It is extremely difficult to cater for this broad age range, and I’ve been let down before. I think any parent with children under five of a mixed age range will understand where I’m coming from! Often places think they’re being inclusive by catering for siblings and sticking a 0 to 5 age range on the activity, when really you end up with a disengaged 4-year-old and an overwhelmed baby. Or, as has happened to me before, the whole thing turned out to be an ambitious endeavour by a well-meaning artist targeting a mythical ‘sit-still-and-watch’ child (maybe those children exist, but my son isn’t one of them!). 

Well, hold the phone, stop the press, and get down to ArtPlay post-haste! I can honestly say Light Pickers is the first performance I have been to that truly delivers for the under 5s. 

This may be the Holy Grail of free experiences for mixed age siblings under 5! Everything can be touched; in fact, this is encouraged. There is plenty of space to move, interact and explore.

This is an immersive experience performance, where the audience and the performers merge together to become one within the environment. Polyglot Theatre is well-experienced at theatre-making for children and they are realistic about how they expect their pint-sized audience to engage, at every age.

Remy (18 months), is instantly engaged from the moment we walk into the space. He reaches out for my hand in the darkness, seeking reassurance it is safe to explore this strange new world.

There is a wonderland of lights arranged in a tapestry of reflective textures and materials. We use our bodies and senses to engage with the space – activating lights in the floor with our feet, listening to strange sculptural creations that make sounds, watching actors move around the space gracefully. The whole space evokes themes of being underwater or even outer space.

Remy flits between playing with different materials – small boxes that he decides are drums, large balls he bounces his body off – and having fleeting moments with the actors engaging with him. His face changes between joy, wonder and surprise. And Remy isn’t alone in his experience – I can see the wonder and amazement on every child’s face – from the tiniest baby in arms, staring up at the dangling tinsel and watching the lights move through the darkness, to the 4-year-old kinder child who was expanding this world in their mind and telling complicated stories about ‘where we really were ‘ to their amused father. 

I highly recommend Light Pickers for anyone with children within the recommended age group – especially the energetic type where maybe attending a show or performance my be too daunting, or parents looking for the unicorn of an activity that caters for all their young children. 

It’s hard to nail down – but it doesn’t matter. Light Pickers is whimsical, engaging and a sensorial delight.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”thon-hot-tips-panel”]Tips for Light Pickers:

• Immersive art performance, recommended for ages 0 – 5 . Perfect for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and every child in between.
• Babies and children must be accompanied by an adult.
• Takes place in a dark room (with lots of light to navigate around), so be aware of any sensitivities to dark or enclosed places.
• Pram friendly, but prams must be left in foyer.
• Baby change facilities available inside ArtPlay.
• 30 min run time, not too long and not too short;
• ArtPlay is located in Birrarung Marr, behind Federation Square. The closest parking is in the Federation Square Cark Park (Wilson Parking) . To access ArtPlay from the car park, take the lift down to the ground level and exit through the door facing out to the playground. Cross over the playground; ArtPlay is the red brick building next to it; and
• ArtPlay is also a short walk from Flinders Street Station, and the Flinders St and Swanston St trams.

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