© Underdog Heavy Industries 1969-2011
Malorees Infant School
Malorees had an underused corner area outside their hall
dominated by a huge oak tree. As a school with an emphasis on
art they were hoping for a development that would allow
multiple art activities within the space. They were also keen for
us to run an art project with the children and to plant an
attractive sensory area with the practical purpose of shielding
the composting bins.
Malorees has a very
creative atmosphere
and working outside the
hall we became aware
of just how many
performative activities
were going on within the
school. With this in
mind we proposed, then
designed and built a
stage area complete with
shade canopies, seating
and stage-themed decorative elements.
We constructed an attractive curving pathway
through the site, linking all the elements together
and showcasing a living willow dome with planted
borders.
One corner of the site was given over to four musical instruments: a bat-phone, chimes, cymbals and a tongue piano.
Along the path between the willow
dome and the stage we made a labyrinth of painted panels, windows,
mirrors and applied decorative
pieces. The children from each class were taken out to explore
some of the school’s wild and
natural areas and then asked to produce drawings and paintings of
the interesting plants and insects they
had seen. The children did us proud and came up with lots of great
pictures which we then assembled into
collages of plants and
animals.
We transposed these collages onto
decorative panels.
Some of the designs became coloured cut
out windows, some were painted onto the
panels themselves and
some became separate pieces roaming over
the adjacent timber-work. Malorees Infant School have their own
website here
which gives great insight into the
ethos of the school. We enjoyed working there.
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Heathlands
Chapel Street
College Green
Malorees
Beech Hill
Ramridge
Hart Hill
Willows
Towers
Routes
Music
Art
Plants
Structures
Surfaces
Ponds