Activity: Book Nook
This activity is inspired by our Mélanie Matranga exhibition 0,1,2,3,4 and her interests in public and private spaces. We are going to explore and make a model of our favourite spaces in our home.
This is a model Mélanie has created of the space where she lives and works, it is displayed inside a cupboard in her exhibition. It looks like theres been a party. Do you think it needs a tidy? I think someones got a lot of washing up to do!
Inspired by Melanies room, what you can create is a Book Nook. This is a sculpture of a mini world created within a bookshelf, sometimes even inside a book! If you don’t have a bookshelf, you could make room inside a cupboard, like Mélanie, or under a chair, or table.
You will need:
• to raid the recycling at home and collect a selection of card and boxes
• sellotape, masking tape or glue
• scissors (and possibly an adult to help)
Choose your favourite space at home; it could be the place you like to relax in, to read, to sleep or to make, and then choose a box you want to create as your Book Nook - make sure your box fits in your space before you start making!
You might want to put your box vertically so it looks more like a book and you will need extra pieces of card to make your furniture. Take a look at the pictures below to give you some ideas.
Look around your room and see what else you need - you can add a window, a rug, a table, a TV, you decide!
Once you have made everything you can arrange them in the box as your sculpture.
If you have a battery tea light you could maybe use this as the room light. Can you spot how it’s been used in the final piece?
You could add to your room with colour and fabric, cut out pictures and colours from old magazines to decorate, or collect natural objects from outside.
Try taking some photos to see what your room looks like as an image.
Do please share on our social media at #NCmaking, we would absolutely love to see your mini spaces!
Top Tips at home:
• A clear a space to get creative
• Gather the materials before you start
• You may need an adult to help with the cutting out
If you are visiting the exhibition with your children, please be aware there is a film People featured in the show where entry is restricted to visitors aged 18 or over. The film is screened in a separate space within the exhibition with monitored entry.
This activity was created by Play and Learn Facilitator, Rachel Scanlon
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