Feeling a way of life

One of the great things about the Common Goods residencies at ArtPlay is the fact that the kids involved readily use their hands to make things. Mostly the things they are making are created using free or very cheap materials and result in high quality and rich artifacts. Encountering artists who use such materials in their everyday practice is important for the kids to see that in order to create things of beauty and cultural significance does not necessarily require going to a store and purchasing special materials. The sheer tactile quality of the clay or flax is something all the children approach with equal vigour. it is very likely that within the school environment kids would never use flax or found wire to weave but at ArtPlay they are able to play with such materials and create work of their own. Of course this project has wider objectives however on a simple level the handling of the craft materials themselves gives an insight into another way of working and living.