SENSORY PATHWAYS
New Entry Feature - Burnside State School, Nambour
Always a privilege and a pleasure to bring some colour into the school ground. Burnside is situated in a beautiful green space of Nambour on the Sunshine Coast. It is quite a large school already adorned with some beautiful murals. I was given the opportunity to come up with something that embodied 'We are the burnsiders' and represented the school as best as possible. Something fun and eye catching as you entered the school. Very pleased with the overall outcome as were the school community. Thank you again to Lisa for trusting me with this great project.
Outdoor Classroom - Elimbah State School, Elimbah
Support Include Empower individuals with disability
Sequal Headquarters, Strathpine
The construction of the new Sequal headquarters at Strathpine called for some creative expression. The lovely staff got in contact as they had a vision for some colour across one wall of the space including reception. The whole space is predominately white which will make this even more of an impact. As it is a working space for all the staff at their desks, we wanted to create something positive and uplifting to work in, whilst also highlighting the important work Sequal do - SUPPORT, INCLUDE & IMPOWER.
100 Years at Wamuran State School, Wamuran
Beautiful addition to a concrete area surrounding the classrooms. Now visible from most classrooms. Our goal was 100 flowers for 100 years and we did just that!
Higher grades handball courts adorned with learning platforms for everyone to use and some creative inspiration.
Sensory Pathway Projects
As part of my arts practice, I am currently working with schools to develop what I call ‘Sensory Pathways’. This involves a collaboration with a school community to create an engaging space for students to explore sensory development. Not only does it bring colour and life to what would be bland concrete pathways, it increases engagement for cognitive development, fine motor skills and imagination. It allows a space for teachers to work with children who may struggle with behavioral issues, giving an outdoor space to focus and learn. It gets the kids moving and active outside the classroom through counting, letters, balance, colour, and shape. These are all aspects that are focused on throughout the planning. I try to achieve the most engaging and relatable images for each school. I work closely with teachers to understand how we can work with curriculum and subjects to develop a design that suits them. Previous designs have included mazes, crocodile rivers with stepping logs, hand and feet balance bridges, Lily pads, Alphabet bubbles, and Number rockets and more. I believe this can be a really valuable project for our school communities and invites the arts and imagination into the minds of our kids and teachers today. Our schools are focusing on play so much more in the classroom especially with our younger generations. So many more children are being diagnosed with learning difficulties, and find it more engaging outside of the standard classroom. I feel strongly about trying to implement this for our students education today. I have included some reference photos to give you an idea of some previous projects. If this is something that you could see be apart of your school or community please get in contact and we can discuss options. I have included some information of the process below.
Process
Every idea needs planning. I am happy to discuss ideas, future planning, complete quotes, and work with industry budgets to achieve desired outcomes. Some spaces are often used daily so need to be constructed when not in use or sectioned off for the duration of painting. I give the completed pathway a few days of curing time before being used to guarantee longevity. Each project is different, the bigger the space the longer it will take. My process is an accumulation of layered colours. The impact and durability is only possible when the paint is substantially covered and able to dry. Concrete is also quite absorbent, which is why layers act as primers for above colours. It can be a time consuming project, but worth the detail and aids in its longevity. Working on a high traffic area requires a strong durable and weather resistant paint. I have previously not used a clear sealant as they can create a slippery surface not suitable for interaction. Also sealants can have adverse effects towards the colours and paints. Any area to be covered needs high pressure cleaning beforehand to remove oils and dirt. Plenty of questions come with sensory pathways projects and I am more than happy to discuss further. Send me a message via the contacts page or in the link below and I will be more than happy to help. I can only physically complete a number of these project per year, so get in touch to discuss and we can make sure we can work to suitable timeframes.
