A new Wellington art activation invites children to explore their dream house

04 Nov 2021

A bright, wonky and out of scale home has become the perfect prompt to get Wellington tamariki’s imagination flowing while they play. Capital E’s PlayHQ has unveiled their newest art activation, Home is Where the Art Is, that includes a giant dream house designed by Wellington siblings, 8-year-old Tui and 6-year-old Xavier.

Resene has helped Capital E incorporate creative technology into their installations without the need for big wires and buttons, encouraging children to embrace more curious play with a few surprises along the way.

Halo Collins, the Public Programmes Specialist for Capital E, says the Dream House is the perfect canvas for turning everyday objects into interactive, colourful pieces of art. The activation also highlights artwork made for and by the children who visit Capital E’s PlayHQ. “The aim of this installation is to inspire children to reimagine home life in quirky and creative ways,” says Halo. “We hope to encourage children to explore their ideas and dreams and realise them in the artworks that they create.

“Everywhere you look the installation uses splashes of colour, but two of our biggest features aren’t visible! We worked with Resene paints to create two special activations; a huge magnetic wall that spans the length of the room and four paintings using Resene SmartTouch conductive paint that when touched, produce an audio soundscape based on the painting.” 

Home is Where the Art Is Halo’s second installation using Resene SmartTouch conductive paint and she looks forward to creating more magic with Resene in the future.

Located at 4 Queen’s Wharf, Wellington, Capital E’s PlayHQ is suitable for tamariki aged under 5 and their caregivers. Home is Where the Art Is at PlayHQ is open Monday - Saturday from 9.30am-3.30pm and has free entry. 

For more information, visit the Capital E website 

Published: 04 Nov 2021