Brooklyn primary school children will show another side of their suburb when they reveal their Outside In project on Friday.
Brooklyn is one of Australia’s most polluted suburbs, known for dust and odours from its industrial estates.
But Annunciation Catholic Primary School pupils, through an extended artists-in-schools residency project, worked with children’s ‘experential’ theatre company Polyglot Theatre to bring their locale back into daily life.
Polyglot Theatre director Kate Kantor said the project took the children out of their classrooms to explore beyond the back fences of their outside world.
“With kids spending more and more time in front of screens, they miss out on playing outside, which is key to their educational, emotional and social development,” Ms Kantor said.
“Over the past few months, we’ve visited Newport Lakes and Altona beach, giving the kids a chance to explore and enjoy these beautiful and fun outside spaces.
“And now, we’re bringing the outside in, as we take over and transform the local kinder into a network of sculptures and creativity hives.”
The pupils have created a maze‐like artwork in the grounds of Frances Sullivan Kindergarten, which is near the school.
The kinder kids and their bigger buddies will celebrate their theatrical collaboration at the end of the school week.
Families will gather at the kinder for a barbecue at 6pm, Friday, followed by a performance within the sculptural installation the youngsters have designed and built.
“All the work has been made by the kids and they have been in control of every stage of the creative process,” Ms Kantor said.
Artists-in-schools residencies are co‐funded by the Australia Council for the Arts and Creative Victoria.
The popular arts residency program won’t continue due to funding cuts.
