Activity: A Den with a View
Our exhibiting artist Mélanie Matranga explores workspaces, home spaces and social spaces, and the mixing up of these in one space.
In Allison Katz’s exhibition there are viewpoints and windows in her art, changing the way that we look and experience spaces.
This activity is going to be an exploration of these two ideas!
We are going to find spaces at home to create a den, turning a place you would usually use for something else, into a play space. We’ll explore creating viewpoints out of our dens, and how it might change the way we see a room. Especially if it’s a room you’ve seen a lot of over the last year!
Find a space in your home to create your den, maybe this could be somewhere that’s normally a place to work, or to eat, or sleep? It could be under a table, behind a sofa, or even in a sturdy wardrobe!
Once you have found the ideal space you can create your den.
You might already be an expert at den building but if it’s your first time building a den, here’s some ideas of how you could get started.
You could use:
- Fabric or blankets (clothes pegs are great for keeping fabric in place!)
- Cushions (big sofa cushions are particularly good)
- Cardboard boxes
- Or any other objects you think might be helpful…(you might have seen last year that IKEA listed some fun ways to make different dens)
When building, think about how you might look outside, from the inside of your den.
Explore different windows and viewpoints - is your window low down? Is it above your head in the ceiling? Is it a really, really, tiny peephole?
When you have built your den try looking out of your windows in different ways, what happens when you turn upside down?
What can you see if you are lying down? Or looking out from the side?
Does the room outside your den look different? What is it like from a new viewpoint?
Try taking photographs of all the different angles and views out of your den windows.
And when you are ready for a break, a picnic lunch in your den is always a great idea!
We would love to see all of your Dens with a View.
Do share the images out of your windows with us at #NCmaking
Tips at home:
• Make sure a grown up is around to help create your den safely, especially if you are using big furniture or objects, or need something attached high up!
This activity was created by Play and Learn Facilitator, Ursula Rae
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