Wood Wide Web is an installation for early learners exploring the invisible natural world that exists right beneath our feet.
Underneath our feet, trees are secretly talking, trading and sharing with one-another. They do this by using a network of fungi that grow around and inside their roots. This network is known as the “Wood Wide Web”. As part of ArtPlay’s New ideas Lab, with children and families, Barking Spider Visual Theatre artists have created a large-scale installation, Wood Wide Web. Created for early learners (3-5 year olds) and families, Wood Wide Web is an underground world filled with tunnels, UV sensitive objects and patterns, exquisite sound and unexpected lighting design for children to explore. In this underground world, children are essential to the communication network of the trees. Kids are the active agents of transformation in this underground play-space environment.
The collaborative nature of trees is critical to their survival - a parallel to our human collaborative effort to work together to create a cleaner, greener planet. Wood Wide Web is a play-based metaphor for important human behaviour that will - especially in the hands of the upcoming generations - make a difference.
This work took place on the lands of the Wurundjeri people, the traditional custodians this land.
ArtPlay and City of Melbourne are the original supporters of Wood Wide Web. The project was seeded by City of Melbourne through ArtPlay’s New Ideas Lab.
ARTISTS
Penelope Bartlau - Artistic Director
Jason Lehane - Set Design and Construction
Georgie Wolfe - Lighting Design
Darius Kedros - Sound Design
Paul Lim - Arduino Design
Adele Cattenazzi - Set Design Assistant
Patrick Clements-Cramp - Design Intern
Ashleigh Basham - Design Intern
Laura Aldous - Installation Facilitator
Klari Agar, Loukia Vassiliades & Nicole Harvey - Design Support
Sarah Walker - Promotion Photography
Benji Groenewegen - Creative Development & Showing Photography
Theresa Harrison - Production photography
Alex Sibbison - Production videography
A huge thank you to Julie Wright, ArtPlay’s tireless Creative Producer, for her persistence and hard work across 2021, to help us realise Wood Wide Web through the pandemic.
30 ноя 2021
