I Am Nature
I Am Nature Trailer from 2022 Children’s Week season at ArtPlay.
I Am Nature is an interactive show and workshop series that connects children and their adults to nature and native animals through movement, song, a natural installation, and narration.
In workshops, children and their adults play with natural and recyclable materials to decorate a large version of a local animal, as well as make their own smaller puppet version of the animal that they can move and explore the space with. Children are also invited to add features to the environment that the animal can use as their habitat. Artists guide the journey through asking questions and storytelling to stimulate the imagination of participants.
Following a series of workshops where participants explore one animal per session, the large, decorated animals are exhibited in the show and used as part of the installation. The show is an immersive, accessible experience that transcends language barriers through its tactile, visually and physically engaging style. It’s been described as “magical” by several adults who’ve attended as participants get immersed into the world of five local animals through play and discovery.
Development: The development of this project was first supported through the New Ideas Lab by ArtPlay. In 2021, it was adapted to be delivered online for a partnership between ArtPlay and City of Melbourne’s Family Services clients. In 2022, it was presented in person with a series of workshops and a sold out number of shows at ArtPlay during Children's Week. In 2023, I Am Nature was developed and presented with Brimbank City Council through a series of community workshops and shows.
Artists:
Composition / Songwriting/ Performance: Gabriela Georges
Installation / Set Design / Performance: Ashlee Hughes/Jennifer Tran
Choreography / Performance: Jose-Pepe Inostroza Aqueveque
I AM NATURE LINKS:
Sample copy for workshop and show