BUNK Puppets has an ambition to re-engage young audiences during the school holidays with Mud Island, going against the common thought among their target market that digital entertainment reigns supreme.
“There’s definitely an anti-iPad thread in there,” Bunk Puppets artistic director Jeff Achtem said.
“I’m a new father and I see it with other parents, I get it and I’m not judging. But we’re trying to push hard to find interesting, hands-on DIY, tactile experiences that can be given a context and theatrical meaning.”
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READ NOWBunk Puppets found this in workshop session Mud Island, which will be presented for the first time at the 2017 Awesome International Arts Festival for Bright Young Things from October 2 to 8.
The interactive installation will feature artists guiding children through the workshop where they can make clay dwellings, villages and cities in a group of up to 20-30 other kids.
The messy play experience then evolves as monsters and creatures change the landscape, with the added possibility of floods.
“We’re trying to develop a project that’s a workshop session where children don’t feel like they need to leave with a prize they’ve made,” Achtem said.
“We’re touching on some no-go zones for kids, including climate change, and generating an experience to get their shirt dirty and have a laugh.”
Mud Island will have two 60-minute sessions a day, 10 and 11.15am, in the Inflatable Museum at Perth Cultural Centre.
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Mud Island
Where: Inflatable Museum, Perth Cultural Centre
When: October 2 to 8
Tickets: www.trybooking.com