APT 2002 Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Australia : Report

Frequency Percent not applicable 6 7.1 Mirrorama 15 17.6 Squirts 19 22.4 Ping Pong Portraits 29 34.1 Flying Angels 1 1.2 Scent Detectives 4 4.7 Swarming Locusts 3 3.5 Film Festival 8 9.4 Total 85 100.0 Regarding Ping Pong Portraits , children commented on the excitement of being able to use the launcher (a device that shot the ping pong balls into a pool of water in the courtyard of the Gallery), perhaps because of the novelty of the item. Some children liked the drawing aspect of the activity but mostly they liked the cannon. This was clearly a fun activity to do. Regarding Squirts , children expressed a clear excitement in watching the unusual: “new things that I never knew could happen”, “different to most”, “different to what you see normally”, “you got to see how it works”, “looking at funny things in water”, floating rocks, swinging Barbie doll, gumboots, dancing apes and patterns in the water made by squirting water. Regarding Mirrorama , children were captivated by their reflections and saw themselves in unusual images. This was a very enjoyable and amusing aspect of their visit. Few commented on the links to the art works from which this activity was generated. Quiet Fewer than 50% of the children interviewed indicated that they had participated in the quiet activities. However, aspects of all three activity areas appealed to children. Quiet - 1st preference Storytelling Rest Zone Animate not applicable Frequency Percent not applicable 45 52.9 Animate 8 9.4 Rest Zone 11 12.9 Storytelling 21 24.7 Total 85 100.0 Regarding Storytelling , children commented that they liked when they were given a role to play during the storytelling: “I had to put ears on and I liked doing that”, and “I got to do things and help the lady get home”. Music, singing and listening to stories from Asia- Pacific cultures were other features of the storytelling that appealed to children. Regarding the Fly Down Zone , children expressed the view that they enjoyed resting, reading and “playing” on the bean bags. “Watching cartoons” and “being funny” were responses children provided for liking Animate. Technology Though each child was asked to select their favourite technology interactive, only 40% indicated that they had participated in these activities. 107