What is A Secret Garden?
A Secret Garden by Green Croft on the Wall, is a fully inclusive immersive installation for children aged 3 - 10 years with learning difficulties and their parents or carers. Part workshop, part game, part dance, children and their parents try out open ended, playful and creative movement activities in a multi sensory environment whilst exploring the garden led by experienced facilitator Susie Tate.
What is A Secret Garden about?
A Secret Garden is inspired by The Secret Garden, a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
What’s behind the gate? Take a peek and look….
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It’s a secret walled garden – all overgrown, neglected and forgotten. Looking around you can tell it was once a much-loved place and full of life. And it shall be once again, but only with your help. We need you to help us tidy and plant, water and nurture to make the garden beautiful once more for everyone to enjoy.
How long does A Secret Garden last?
Sessions are designed to last about 40-45mins, however there is a degree of flexibility to fit around any existing timetables. Children are of course free to leave at any time if necessary.
Is a Secret Garden Interactive?
Yes – A Secret Garden is multisensory and interactive. Participants will be invited to move, to listen, to react, to make choices, to blow…. A Secret Garden is part workshop, part game and part dance.
Children are encouraged to move, interact and communicate with the installation on a physical and cognitive level whilst providing an opportunity to be creative.
Who is A Secret Garden for?
For children aged 3 - 10 years with learning difficulties and their parents or carers. It is fully inclusive and especially suited to children with learning difficulties. The work was originally conceived for children with mobility issues, including those with multiple and profound learning difficulties in conjunction with the Therapies Department of Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children.
My child has additional physical needs – is it suitable for them to attend?
Yes – A Secret Garden is fully inclusive and accessible to all. All movements are adaptable to all physical needs and due to the multi sensory element, all children can engage on a variety of levels. The movement activities will be guided by an experienced dance artist and facilitator and are designed to entirely inclusive.
How much space & power does A Secret Garden need?
A space at least 7 metres long by 5.5 metres wide is required, with a height of 2.5 metres. A Secret Garden takes the form of a pop-up shelter with a screen on one side, all technical equipment being hidden outside the shelter, behind the screen. A standard 13 amp socket is the only power requirement.
Information about Green Croft Arts…
Green Croft Arts is a new organisation led by artists Amanda Drago & Kit Haigh. They are based at Green Croft on the Wall in Gilsland, Northumberland.
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Over the last 15 years Dance Artist Amanda Drago and Sound Artist Kit Haigh have developed a reputation for producing accessible, inclusive high- quality arts projects that work across dance, sound, photography and interactive art. Whether intimate installations in hospitals or special schools, site specific arts installations in rural locations, churches and museums, or pop up photo installations in festivals, the challenge is creating work that is sensitive to, yet embraces its location and the audience.
Amanda brings her choreographic experience, inclusive teaching practice and creative producing skills whilst Kit brings ideas to life through a variety of sourced and composed sounds as well as an eye for detail and problem solving when programming.
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If you have any questions or would like an more information on the above email: amandadrago@me.com