Into the Kaleidoscope was an immersive environment housed within a Community Cafe, where very young children contributed directly to both the content and creation of a live experience. Our intention was to create a playful, multi-sensory, cross-arts space which offered suggestions or “provocations” for play devised from the play and the music captured whilst exploring alongside early years children. These ideas were to become amplified and extended as playful performance artists worked dynamically with children in the space, taking up ideas and suggestions offered from those who were engaging in the space. The project centred around following the lead of those who participated in the experience.
The concept for Into the Kaleidoscope originated from young children playing with a wooden kaleidoscope – taking it apart, filling it with a selection of elements (flowers, sequins, paper etc) – then re-examining as the kaleidoscope created new images from the fragments they had put in. We collected recordings of the music and sounds children were creating during these sessions.
We started a co-creation process with practitioners working across multiple arts forms and with differing levels of experience working with early years children.
The concept of Into the Kaleidoscope became a metaphor for both the process of working together and the anticipated output – construction of a musical environment for early years children supported by playful adults.
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