Tiny Captured RainbowsA collection of artwork and poetry from our Distance Creates Remote Programme
In the spring of 2020 our worlds were turned upside down. For many our homes and gardens became our sanctuaries. In response to our changing circumstances Helium Arts began a brand new remote programme called Distance Creates, combining home-based activities, postal surprises and virtual sharing.
Tiny Captured Rainbows brings together the artwork of 32 young artists between the ages of 9 and 12 who joined us over six weeks this spring to document and colourfully celebrate the tiny moments in our everyday life.
Creativity at Home
Artist Ciara Harrison engaged the children in a project that asked them to observe the familiar and the micro in their homes and outdoor spaces. Each week Ciara chose a colour and the participants were invited to photograph objects that expressed this colour in their surroundings. These photographs were then brought together to create collages celebrating the beauty that exists around us everyday.
Poetry
In addition to their photography, the children also wrote poetry for inclusion in the book. A Haiku is a short poem written about the everyday, and often references natural surroundings. It was decided that the haiku would be the perfect form for the children to write in in keeping with the themes of the programme. The young artists chose an object in their home to respond to and to write about. These poems compliment the abundance of tiny captured visual moments in our book.
Remastering Artwork
Along with our photography and Haiku poems the young artists collaborated on ‘remastering’ famous artworks. Each participant was posted a section of a painting along with art materials. The children recreated the sections of the paintings they were given and returned them to me to be pieced back together like a jigsaw. This resulted in fantastic re-imaginings of some of the world’s greatest paintings!
Book Launch
The book received an online launch in late September. The event featured special messages recorded by YA authors Dave Rudden and Sarah Maria Griffin congratulating the young artists on their achievements.
The images in this book provide a snippet of what the young artists were observing during this time. Learn more about the work of Helium Arts at www.helium.ie
Check out the digital flipbook version here.