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Day 1 | Being & Belonging
2012-10-26
Day 1
I am working with a Parent and Toddler group of approx 20- 25 participants, including both children and adults, at Castlefinn in Co. Donegal. The group is still growing as new participants have joined at both of the meetings I have attended.
The meetings are held in a gym at the local community centre. Initially I was concerned that this large, wide open space would be a particular challenge for me, but I was excited about exploring how I would overcome the issues it might present.
Through my work I am continuously exploring the environments that we are part of and how we respond to these spaces, within an early years context I am interested in developing an understanding of the importance the environment and its structure has on a child’s early stages of development.
My initial response to the space at Castlefinn was to find ways I might create a smaller space where a focused activity could take place, and to create an environment where exchange and learning through observation for children, guardians and artists was promoted.
My first session this week with the group allowed me to test this idea, the group had already planned a programme for this particular meeting so I agreed that I would work along with their preparations and create some short art activities that had a Halloween theme. Between the play space and food area, I found a place to set up an art mat. Using a large circular form in the centre I succeeded in creating a more focused space as the group gathered around, with the children central to the activity while the adults created a support structure on the edge assisting them through the process.
Some of the participants were very involved, while others moved in and out of the activity. The urge to run and play in the open space was a distraction for some of the children. After an online meeting with the other artists on the project I began to think about their suggestions to explore ways that the entire gym space might be used, creating a journey through it, and how this might overcome the concerns I had during this first session.
Over the coming weeks through storytelling, sound, movement and art activities I now plan to create a physical journey through the gym, where we will engage with, alter, influence and create a number of smaller spaces. Through creative play, exploration and experimentation the processes will focus on the child’s gross and fine motor development, while allowing me the opportunity to investigate the importance and potential for both large and small spaces within this context.
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