Art For Play
Projekt plan for artictic work at the Rauhala day care center
A ”skeleton” of a hut is made, simple form, walls and a roof.
The frame should be about 1,5×2 meters in size.
The plan is to continue building upon this form, both inside and outside.
The frame is made sturdy so that it will last year after year. Most people have made huts when they were children, either in the forest from branches or inside out of all the pillows and cushions in the home. It is way to inspire creativity, imagination and play.
A hut can inspire children to use their imagination. Together with adults they have an opportunity to use their creativity and make the hut into anything they want, to change it into for example an animal, a character of some book, into a place or even a trip to the moon… The possibilities are endless.
Together with the children we will think about what kind of a hut they would like.
What will the first transformation look like? We will draw, sketch and plan together so that we can later begin to begin the transformation of the “skeleton” to match their vision.
There will be an open workshop, where people can participate in building the hut.
First visit 4.4-16.4
During my first residency period we began to plan the hut together with the children of Rauhala day care center. In small groups we imagined and visualized onto paper what the hut could look like and what kind of games it would be possible to play in it or around it.
Next the children got to make their own banner or flag, which were added to the hut. Together with Heidi Lunabba and the builder Kjell Widlund we went through and agreed upon the blueprints, materials, budget and schedule for building the hut.
Final visit 2.5-20.5
4.5. Together with his colleague Kjell Widlund built the frame of the hut into the agreed spot near Rauhala day care center.
5.5. We organised and open workshop near Rauhala day care center, where we made the movable and playable parts of the hut.
9.5 we had a work together event with the staff of the day care center and the parents of the children. The frame was painted to be weather proof.
The facade of the hut is made of 36 rectangular boards, which are painted on both sides. They were painted outside under a roof in small groups, together with the children and staff. Messy but fun experience, where all children got to participate and make their mark on the hut.
The staff of the day care center helped attach the boards to the frame, which made the work notably easier.
19.5 we organised an opening of the hut for the children and their parents. We toasted with juice and snacks were served.
The project has been a group effort on all fronts, and I am thankful for all the help I have received from the residency organizer Heidi Lunabba, the builder Kjell Widlund and everyone at the Rauhala day care center.
