RMIT Culture Opens The Children's Sensorium – A Fun Space To Enhance Resilience

RMIT Culture have opened the Children's Sensorium installation as part of the Archives of Feeling exhibition for The Big Anxiety, Melbourne Naarm.

The Children's Sensorium is a colourful and vibrant interactive exhibition featuring light, colour, touch, sound, smell and taste to activates children's curiosity, connect them to local Kulin Country as well as introduce strategies and techniques that support emotional resilience and wellbeing.

The Children's Sensorium responds to the significant impacts of the pandemic on children's wellbeing and resilience. The exhibition experience aims to improve mental health and wellbeing for children (ages 4-11) experiencing distress, building on evidence of preventative strategies to support wellbeing (eg. mindfulness/embodiment, play and emotional intelligence).

Using a strength-based approach (shifting focus away from pathology), the Sensorium enables children to explore their senses, feelings, thoughts, worries and hopes and to cultivate emotional intelligence and resilience. Developed with advice from mental health experts led by Professor Renata Kokanović, the Sensorium delivers practical resources through activities and workshops in the space and take-home information for parents, schools and children.

With artistic direction from Boonwurrung elder N'Arweet Carolyn Briggs, the Sensorium draws on themes of nature, working with the Kulin calendar and featuring the transition from Guling or orchard season (August) to Poorneetor tadpole season (September/October). The exhibition includes sense-based installations that draw on touch, sound, vision, smell and taste to create an environment that is fun, engaging and activates children's curiosity while connecting them to strategies and techniques that support resilience and wellbeing.

During the exhibition, RMIT Culture will host a range of workshops and activities, including gardening, plants, propagating, mindfulness, mediation, movement, dance, creative play and connecting to Country.

Artists and specialists

• N'arweet Carolyn Briggs - Artistic Direction
• Grace McQuilten - curator and producer
• Larissa Hjorth (play and games)
• Hiromi Tango (colour and textile installation)
• Fiona Hillary (light)
• Philip Samartzis (sound)
• Heather Hesterman (planting and cultivation of plants)
• Anna Schwann (scent installation)
• Anthony Clarke (Bloxas)
• Embodiment specialists: Tamara Borovica, Angela Clarke and Camilla Maling.

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