The Dutch Taartrovers (Cake Robbers) have done wonderful things, which is why ECFA was delighted to involve them in our projects (such as the first edition of the Workshop Warehouse). But now they have done something they have never done before: curating their first exhibition about film! Lichtspielplatz (Light-playground) is a collaboration with the DFF (German Film Institute & Film Museum) in Frankfurt, where the exhibition is stationed. The exhibition will be open until 12 May and will then be available to other interested parties. You too can easily invite a gang of Cake Robbers too!
Lichtspielplatz playfully combines film performances with a ‘light-landscape’ of seven installations. You could call it a ‘play-exhibition’, where children from the age of 3 can investigate, discover or just hang around. The films were curated by the Film Museum in Frankfurt, the installations were made by the Dutch art collective. Together they invite young children to play around with film and fantasy. Children are great researchers, discovering the world through looking, feeling, smelling, listening and tasting. Film is a rich and accessible medium that comes in various languages. Taartrovers loves film, as a way to experience stories and then play around with them.
How does it work exactly?
It all starts in the museum cinema, where childrens’ curiosity is aroused through silent films, animation and poetic documentaries, encouraging them to start experimenting. They are welcomed in a space where they feel free and safe, a space that inspires and encourages research through the use of all senses. Children can play together at various stations and test the basic principles of the film medium: how to make images move? How is a cartoon created? How do music and sound add to the perception of images? What do light and shadows have to do with film? Afterwards the children return to the cinema, this time taking a closer look at what is happening on the screen.
Tessa van Grafhorst (Taartrovers): “All installations in Lichtspielplatz are connected on the level of content and aesthetics. They are abstract, relaxing in their use of colours, elegantly designed and therefore offer plenty of space for imagination. You will playfully become acquainted with the basic elements of film, such as light, projection, movement, imagination, sound, stories and perspective. Museum guides will follow the children in their play and support or encourage them if needed. The children choose their own direction and rhythm; no concrete result is expected from them. It’s the game and the process that are the basis of their development and passion for film.”
The exhibition can be visited by schools, individually or as a family. Are you interested in hosting a Taartrovers expo at your event? Contact Tessa van Grafhorst @ Taartrovers. The young audience will be endlessly grateful.
Copyright photos: Lys Y. Seng