Ipswich Art Gallery has hosted the most amazing interactive exhibition for babies and tots – Bright and Shiny. Bright and Shiny was a hands-on art-themed play space. It was developed with consultation with Early Childhood professionals. It allowed tots to explore their creative potential and the sensory world around them, as they followed their interests and set their own pace.
Ben loved it!!!!!!!! (and so did his mum) We attended three sessions. His mates Oliver, Joseph and Jayden also came to play. Each time we attended Ben used the space differently. He also revisited his favorites – the sliver piece of cloth, the books, the fireman light and the tunnel. It was interesting to watch Ben grow in confidence in the space and manipulate items differently each week. Each session had a focused activity as well as free exploration. The first week we attended the story ‘I love to Sing’ by Anna Walker (one of Ben’s favorites) was featured. It was projected onto the wall. Ben immediately crawled over to the wall touching the pictures. The sessions ran for forty-five minutes but felt like five minutes. The experience was designed for children but also for parents to enjoy their children which certainly was the case. We look forward to the next tots exhibition. Scroll on the images for an explanation.
I would have loved to see Ben play with the two mirrored pieces, they always make me laugh – especially when they are the kind that distort the reflection in some way.