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House of Fairy Tales’ Travelling Art Circus 2010

Sat 11 – Sun 12 September 2010 / 12 noon - 8.30pm

Bernie Spain Gardens

Photo: The House of Fairy Tales
Photo: The House of Fairy Tales
Photo: The House of Fairy Tales
Photo: The House of Fairy Tales
Photo: The House of Fairy Tales
Photo: The House of Fairy Tales

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The House of Fairy Tales presents their spectacular, participative Travelling Art Circus! Come and take part in a series of magical water-themed workshops and activities for families and people of all ages.

With the help of over 100 primary schools from 33 London boroughs, six interactive themed exhibition spaces have been created by the children and artists who took part in the Thames Festival's pan-London education project, with a fully functioning waterwheel sculpture at its centre.

The Waterwheel embodies ideas of sustainable energy, creative innovation, storytelling and the values of water, inspired by children who understand the importance of such things, both now and for the future!

Click this link to see an animation created by James Ormiston from workshops with the pupils of two primary schools - Muswell Hill and Fairlop. The artwork was entirely created by the children in response to the concept of the water-cycle.

The six themed areas of the Waterwheel feature the following installations:

1. Water Laboratory - where we test the science of water to its limits!

SEPNet interactive science experiments made fun with The South East Physics Network. See for yourself how waves make electricity, and much more!
Darcy Turner inventor and teacher Mr Turner will be on hand to demonstrate his inventions, including the amazing newspaper stick rolling machine.
Tine Bech artist Tine Bech creates a mirror balloon sculpture, and demonstrates the laws of gravity and buoyancy.
Waterwheel the wheel itself, made with artists Francis Thorburn, Arts Republic and Des Kaye, with help from Ben Parry and Mott MacDonald Fulcrum engineers.
Matt Harling's Bubble Dome an inflatable dome lab dedicated to the science of bubbles! (TBC)

2. Water Music - where water sounds sweet!

Sonic Sideshow presents their musical mayhem machine and invites you to have a go!
Noisy Toys use everyday kitchen implements to create a percussion orchestra which everyone can join!

3. Water Museum - see the Waterwheel schools project results, and learn about the history of water and humanity!

Durrell Bishop and Daniel Charney an exhibition of extra-special raincoat inventions.
Astrid and Orly Orbach 3D pond life mural.
Global Ocean/Edwina and Kitt/Russell Thorburn visit the plastic bottle fish aquarium, make your own fish or sea anemone out of recycled plastic, and learn how to keep our water clean and free of plastic pollution.
Strangeworks an exhibition of drawings recording children's tableaux vivants (living pictures) of sea life.
Kenn and Annabelle Munk an exhibition of flags, ships and sea monsters.

PLUS an exhibition of ALL the artwork and ideas that came in from the 100 schools who took part in the Waterwheel project!

4. Water Cinema - water through a lens

Magnificent Revolution is a bicycle-powered cinema space where you pedal to make the films move!
Seb Sharples animations and documentary of children's water storyboards for film.
James Ormiston school group animations of a water wedding, and the life of a water droplet.

5. Water Stage - where water comes alive!

Little Theatre of Dolls marionette puppets made from pebbles, seaweed, driftwood and other objects found on the beach.
The White Rabbit presents 'All Washed Up' stories and performances about things that wash up on the beach. Add a message in a bottle to the installation stage set.
Storytelling The House of Fairy Tales' favourite storytellers tell tall tales from the murky depths throughout the weekend. (Artists TBC)
Storyboards project wall for comics, illustrations, messages and mural-making from the world of water. (Artists TBC)

6. Water Garden - showing how all living things need water to grow

Dan Lobb irrigation machine based on old-fashioned designs, built by Dan and school children.

LOTS MORE ARTISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED!

The House of Fairy Tales is a child-centred, adult-friendly arts project instigated by acclaimed artists Gavin Turk and Deborah Curtis. HoFT create immersive theatrical environments where learning is play and play is the finest art of all. Check out the website to see more: www.houseoffairytales.org

The Thames Festival's pan-London education project, now in its 11th year, is an ambitious school arts project that involves 100 primary schools across London each year - go to www.waterwheel.org.uk to see the schools' artworks in our online gallery.

2 comments

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Really looking forward to seeing the House of Fairy Tales at the Thames Festival having seen them at Camp Bestival - where they even opened up again at the end of a mad weekend to let my son complete a final task to qualify for an ‘alchemist’ medal for which they convened a true ceremony with the help of a few passers by!

In this era of Nintendo and (often anti)social media it is so refreshing to be able expose kids to real creativity and inspiration, organised by people who are clearly so committed.

By Nick Corston on Sun 5 September 2010

MINIMA are proud to say we are performing at this years Thames Festival as guests of House of Fairy Tales. Playing to science and nature shorts as well as Lotte Reineger fairy tale animations.

By Mick Frangou on Thu 9 September 2010