Tag Archives: The Spark

Hop Island @ The Curve: A crafty experience for the whole family.

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hop island The Spark Arts have invited me along (wearing my ‘visual artist’ hat, rather than ‘animator’) to contribute to a Family Day at The Curve on Saturday 23rd May 10am-6pm.  There will be lots of wonderful workshops happening throughout the building so pop it in your diary! For those of you that know The Curve, you’ll be aware of what a gorgeous, BIG space it is and I will be taking over a lovely chunk of the mezzanine to fill with some seriously crafty, Sojo fun for the whole family to happen upon and enjoy. Let me tell you more… HOP ISLAND! Mr Dedalus and his son Icarus are trapped on an island.  Can you help to make the island a more exciting place? Families are invited to get seriously crafty and add something tricky onto the model Island for Mr. Dedalus and his son to encounter. You can create ANYTHING!  Perhaps a grumpy bear in a cave or a rickety bridge, a secret maze or a talking tree. What will you add to Hop Island? Take a snap of your crafty addition and it can be added to our online #HopIsland gallery for all to enjoy.  If you have any advice or special tips for Mr Dedalus and his son, to help them pass your obstacle, you can share it on our ‘Tips Board’ for all to see. Pop along at anytime throughout the day to join the fun. Suitable for all ages so bring the whole family and loads of imagination 🙂 This activity is loosely linked to ‘Hop’, a poetic physical dance theatre production for children aged 4+ and their families.  Performances of ‘Hop’ are on Sat 30 May and can be booked by clicking right here.

Such a fun commission from The Spark Arts…I had to share.

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A little while ago The Spark Arts asked if I would create an animation to promote ‘Word Wednesday’ sessions in Leicester Libraries.  This meant I had the chance to listen to loads of fabulous stories written by children in Leicester and then pick one to animate. Obviously I was delighted with such a project and will happily share it with you all.

Take a peek at Joseph’s story.  Clever fella 🙂

The Mythical Creatures Puppetry Workshop with The Spark @ The Brite Centre, Leicester.

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There is something magical about shadow puppetry, I have always said that, but my goodness, when kids get involved it is just wonderful.  Children are so eager to explore new ideas and so playful with their approach to a new art form.  It’s such a shame that we all have to grow up.

The Spark puppetry Workshop pic

When the children at The Brite Centre noticed the big black box in the corner of the room with a funny little window in it’s side, they weren’t sure what it was doing there.  When I switched on the torch and let them have a peek at a couple of pre-made shadow puppets that was it….their brilliantly creative minds were busy thinking about what they were going to create.

“Can I have a go with the torch?”

Me  “Sure.”

“Are we going to make our own shadow puppets?”

Me “You bet we are.”

“Do we have to make one of these mythical creatures or can we make up a new one?”

Me “Well that’s up to you.  You are the boss of your puppet.”

“Let’s make some theatre curtains for the front of the black box!”

Me “Super idea, let’s do it!”

shadow puppet capture

Here’s a big thank you to Jayne at The Spark and all the wonderful people working with The Spark for having me along for the day.