Programme 3: Iain Kettles and Susie Hunter – 3D inflatable sculptures

Activities

Programme 3 activities

Before viewing
Engage children in a discussion on Sculpture:

• What is sculpture?
• What does it represent?
• What type of materials is it usually made of?
• Where do you see it?

  Bring in a variety of shapes that the children can look at to examine how they are constructed. If possible, cut open the objects such as an orange or old tennis ball. Place flat, draw around the shape on paper to form a pattern, cut and construct. By dismantling the objects they can discover how they are put together. Select from the objects below:

• Footballs that have been constructed in different ways, with hexagons and pentagons
• A rugby ball
• A tennis ball
• An orange
• An inflatable beach ball
• An inflatable airbed

  After viewing
  The class should brainstorm a theme that they would like to explore in order to create simple 3D inflatable sculptures:

• Determine a theme
• Make drawings from your imagination that refer to the theme
• Simplify to a line drawing – the detail will be added directly to the sculpture later on
• Get in groups to select one drawing from which to produce a large-scale inflatable sculpture that best fits the chosen theme
• Draw a diagram as a group and work out the dimensions before mapping out on material. Fit simple cones, cylinders and spheres into the shapes in the drawing – this will help the children think in 3D
• When the greater volume of material required for three dimensions becomes evident to the group, encourage them to think about clothes and how the body (a series of cylinders and spheres) fits into them
• Draw the shapes required for the pattern onto A2 or A1 recycled paper. Remember to exaggerate the shapes
• Tape together unused bin liners – or any plastic sheets as long as they are not too flimsy – to create a flat base on which to cut the pattern
• Place the paper patterns onto the plastic and cut out. Repeat until all of the sections are cut
• Instead of sewing the material together in the same way as Iain and Susie, use strong three-inch wide adhesive tape to join the patterns. Narrower tape is fine for smaller objects. Cut out and repeat until all of the shapes are stuck together, leaving a hole big enough for a hairdryer nozzle
• Draw on any detail with coloured marker pens
• Blow up the shapes with a hairdryer on a cool setting. Simply place the hole left in the material over the hairdryer nozzle and secure with tape

  This activity will give the children the sensation of creating something big. Although it will only last a short while, this will be long enough to take a photograph of their work.

  Materials needed:
  

• Drawing paper
• Coloured pens to draw onto plastic
• Any type of plastic (decorators dustsheets, unused bin liners)
• Scissors
• Large recycled paper for the pattern
• Strong tape
• A hair dryer with a cool setting (children should not be left unsupervised)