Kids normally have to get physically involved to learn, enjoy the process of learning and want to continue learning. Next Saturday the capital will offer kids three choices to get involved with a hands-on way of learning, that will have them discover what negative space in art is, dive into the wonderful world of music and see how pictures can become animated.
The workshop dealing with negative space in art will run at the Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum from 10am until 1pm. Children from seven-years-old will investigate the aesthetic and conceptual abilities of the negative space while using plaster.
Negative space may be most evident when the space around a subject – not the subject itself – forms an interesting or artistically relevant shape, and such space occasionally is used to artistic effect as the real subject of an image.
Artist Rebecca Efstathiou will help participants explore the plastic properties of gypsum – a soft sulfate mineral that is the main substance in plaster – by using various moulds. By the end of the workshop, the children will have created a series of small sculptures.
Efstathiou, who studied Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University, primarily works with abstract oil paintings and oil on paper. In recent years her work has explored the boundaries of brush marks and surface relationship, where an inner event occurs simultaneously with an outside one to create a constant battle of control.
The music workshop of the day, under the name One Love, will welcome children from five to 10-years-old to get involved in the world of reggae music with musician Elenitsa Georgiou.
Georgiou will get the kids involved in musical games that will get their energy levels up as they move to reggae vibes. The two-hour workshop will include a small introduction to the genre, a chance for the kids to see how the guitar plays a part in reggae music, choreographies that will have the kids dancing to the rhythm while also enjoying the funny side of dancing, improvisation with percussion instruments, while also enabling the kids to become an orchestra with their bells.
Music teacher Georgiou received her bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. She then went on to receive a masters in Music and Creative Arts in Education from the University of Exeter. Georgiou has also attended workshops in mime, physical theatre, teaching music to children and folktale storytelling. She has organised and participated in theatrical performances for adults and children and musical concerts, singing traditional songs.
She has worked as a music teacher and storyteller in kindergartens, primary schools and bookstores in Greece, Cyprus and England. She has also collaborated with the ministry of education to create interactive workshops in kindergartens and elementary schools to encourage children to experiment and find their own individual talents.
The last workshop of the day will run at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, where 3D artist and animator Electra Chrysanthou will take children from 10 to 13-years-old into a world of animation.
The aim of the workshop, Animate Me, is for children to become acquainted with the art of 2D animation, while drawing inspiration from the Cultural Foundation’s archaeological museum. Participants will carefully observe the decoration of the museum’s vessels, learn interesting information about their symbolism and then create their own 2D animation, in order to provide the basis for the creation of a short film.
Chrysanthou specialises in 3D modelling and texture. She also has a passion for digital paintings, which mainly focus on the theme of fantasy characters and portraits.
Negative Space Workshops
Workshop using plaster for adults and children from 7. January 27. Loukia & Michael Zampelas Art Museum. 27 Arch. Makarios III Ave, 1020 Kaimakli, Nicosia. 10am-1pm. Tel: 22-456099 or 22-456093. €20. Email: [email protected]
One Love
Musical workshop for kids from 5-10. January 27. Creative Learning and Play Centre for Children ClAP3C, Strovolos, Nicosia. 10am-12pm. €15. Tel: 22-392500
Animate Me
Animation workshop for kids from 10-13. January 27. Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Nicosia. 10am-12pm. Free. Tel: 22-128182
