We hosted Konstkollo - a workshop series as part of the Borås Art Biennale, which explored the themes of time, space, and place. This year's biennial, titled Layers, Loops, Lines, focused on how these concepts connect to society, our surroundings, and the environment. It offered new perspectives on the world, where art takes us to different places and presents alternative, imaginative worlds where science meets the mysterious and spiritual.
The workshops utilized various exploratory design games and playful tools to organize and encourage children's participation. They were designed to provide young minds with the opportunity to engage with public art, science, and the mysteries of their surroundings.
The main goal of the workshops was to explore the children’s personal interpretations of the artifacts in public spaces—specifically, their neighborhood in Borås—and to present their findings on the final day of Konstkollo in a vernissage.
Tool for playful participation
The group documented everything that captivated their senses, from collecting sounds to capturing shapes in Elin Stampe’s silvery installation, Disrupting Ebb and Flow. The piece creates optical illusions on the water, including a flickering archway that shifts with the wind and movement, offering opportunities to capture dynamic shapes, patterns, and textures.
We explored Christian Andersen’s whimsical sculpture, Beta. This quirky little crab, crafted from painted bronze, scuttles around without a grand pedestal. Unlike the typical heroic statues found in city centers, Beta feels more like a time-traveling creature, leaving playful traces on the ground that transport you between the future and the age of dinosaurs.
Chanel (seven years old) made a surprising discovery—a snake sleeping inside the sculpture!
The children eagerly followed Beta’s trail, marking their journey with water stains on the ground. They imagined the crab’s adventures, capturing every tiny detail, and even created their own interpretation of the sculpture.
We used exploratory tools to experience Alicja Kwade’s The Heavy Light (2021), featuring a spinning light bulb and a heavy stone suspended above. The group also mapped the shifting shadows, reflecting quietly on movement and time.
Alva and Venla created a hat inspired by Alicja Kwade’s artwork.
