E.L.F - last seen making mayhem at Holt Lights Up, soon to be appearing at Wells Christmas Tide.
Out of nothing a huge city rises up. So tall is the building that it, quite literally, touches the sky. Built on wide foundations the tower reaches upwards to a point. This is a crazy metropolis where creatures inhabit small spaces piled on top of one another, food and bedding cascade down the sides and the tops are lit with torches to warn low flying vehicles of its presence. The beginnings of this structure encountered a few surprise demolitions but our group overcame these and worked as a team to create the tower you see before you. This is a work in progress......
So, it's that time of year again when the nights are drawing in and it's time to bring light into our lives. I have been working on annual lit processions for over 10yrs and since moving out of London I have been working on Wells Xmas Tide; a local winter celebration on the North Norfolk coast. Rather brilliantly Father Christmas arrives, every year, on the tide via speed boat! The Lanterns light the way along the quay and once he has reached land there are some spectacular fireworks by Booom!, a local pyro company. In previous years I have worked with the local primary school and community groups. This year I am helping the yr 7s at the High School create fairground inspired lanterns. As you can see from the photo they resembles a pile of sticks at the moment but hopefully in the next few weeks they will be transformed into beautiful illuminated creations! These photos, taken earlier in the week, are from a session led by Mandy Roberts and myself. Again we used music and singing to create a playful safe space for the participants to then go on to explore the objects and materials.
This group was really interesting to document as each of the responses were very individual. One boy was immediately engaged in the boxes as a house and had a washing machine, bedroom and living room. He adorned and decorated his space and used it for imaginative play which involved doing an awful lot of laundry! Another child created a "monster truck" and another happily played with the materials; popping bubble wrap, stacking cotton reels etc with no intention of "making something". As these sessions continue it is fascinating to observe children and adults playing with materials with no fixed ideas of outcome. |
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