With the power of imagination, an egg carton can become a turtle, a shower cap transforms into a jellyfish and sheepskin into colourful coral!
This all happened at Capital E in the school holidays as a cacophony of coral, crustaceans and fish were created by kids and the team from REACT (Rangiwahia Environmental Arts Centre). REACT are an environmental arts centre that promotes sustainable creativity by connecting to community events across the country to make installations, living structures, and amazing, colourful, giant creations. The Junk & Disorderly REACT team were at Capital E for the entire second week of the school holidays to engage with children in creating an evolving, under the sea, art installation.
Using recycled items, the kids got messy with paints, wool, glitter, streamers and stickers and built a masterpiece coral reef, which now adorns a wall at Capital E. The Capital E play space is covered with coral, fish, turtles, jellyfish, crustaceans and other weird and wonderful objects. One day during the holidays, a boy was asked by a team member, what his favourite fish was, “a stingray,” was his quick answer. The REACT team bounced into action, this was the first stingray request! It didn’t take long before recycled packaging was strategically cut into the inaugural Capital E stingray. By the end of the next day, a school of stingrays adorned the walls, as other kids were inspired by this boys suggestion.
This collaboration activity teamed children with artists, resulting in something quite magical. The ocean installation is still up at Capital E, bring the kids along to Queens Wharf to take a look!
