WARRNAMBOOL’S Fun4Kids Festival will introduce an interactive story-telling element to its program with a giant book set up in the art gallery.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The installation will allow children to ensnare their senses as they literally walk through the three-dimensional structure.
An odd array of characters make the book their home and the aim is to give children a journey where they can enjoy light, texture, sound, touch, smell and even taste.
Program manager Rebecca Elmes said this style and type of arts-driven activity had not been part of the festival before.
Perth-based artist Rose Skinner, who has spent 1000 hours physically building the structure, said children would be treated to something different.
“It’s just a sensory experience on every level. It gets into the psyche,” she said.
“When you leave you still have a very deep memory of the experience, even if you can’t physically remember what it is you did in there.”
The concept will also be beneficial to Deakin University education students, who will work alongside the artist during the festival. South West TAFE diploma of visual arts students will also assist with construction of the exhibition.
“It will provide students with opportunities to engage with the education and care of children, and introduce students to the theory and practice of arts education and ways of supporting children and families in their engagement with contemporary art,” Deakin Associate Professor Bernadette Walker-Gibbs said.
StoryBook, as the concept has been named, is an initiative assisted by the federal government through the Australia Council for the Arts, with funding assistance from Arts Victoria.