‘Ban-za-Ban’, a 3m x 5m purple and yellow inflatable pod is the result of a collaborative process between three to five year old children from the social inclusion partnership areas of Uig and Bernera, and Glasgow-based artists Iain Kettles and Susie Hunter. The artists are well known for their humorous, colourful inflatable sculptures. Examples include ‘Airspace’ an interactive exhibition specially designed for children, which attracted over 20,000 visitors during its 6 week run at Nikolaj in Copenhagen.
Iain Kettles and Susie Hunter spent two days at Uig and Bernera Playgroups. They showed the children examples of their work and asked them about the kind of structures they would like to bounce on, encouraging them to express their ideas in paint and modelling materials. The artists also visited the white shell sand beaches where the sculpture is likely to be used at community events. They then distilled these experiences and spent a couple of months creating 3 sculptural designs, from which the children chose their favourite. This has now been manufactured into a play resource, available for hire to local community groups in Lewis and Harris.
In June 2002, children named the sculpture at a Pre-school Art Fun Day in Bernera. Arts activities on the day included storytelling in an inflatable tent, puppet making, modelling and a sensory light room. Ban-za-Ban now looks set to provide an exciting centrepiece for future An Lanntair activities and events for the under-5s.
An Lanntair were delighted to receive an Innovative Visual Arts Education Award for this project, from the Scottish Arts Council. The £3K award will help fund further work with children and young people on the island.
For further information on how to hire Ban-za-Ban for an event e-mail: lanntair@sol.co.uk
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