MELBOURNE.- In an Australian premiere, Dutch art collective We Make Carpets has created a spectacular exhibition for children and families, as part of the NGV Triennial. Mural-sized displays and interactive installations turn the NGV’s children’s gallery space into a visual feast that encourages young people of all ages to engage with the material world and get hands on with objects such as household kitchen sponges and Velcro.

Commissioned specifically for NGV Triennial, Hands On: We Make Carpets for Kids is inspired by the creative possibilities found in everyday items. Working with the power of numbers, thousands of household objects such as foam pool noodles, nylon rope, kitchen sponges and plastic pegs are carefully arranged to create impressive displays for everyone to view and take inspiration.

Children are invited to arrange random shapes and turn the floor into a richly patterned surface; make dashes of colour with ropes to complete a new piece; and play with colour and shape using Velcro swatches. The participation of visitors over the duration of the exhibition will produce a visual treat of kaleidoscopic colour for all to enjoy.

‘In an unconventional approach, We Make Carpets push the boundaries in their contemporary practice, repurposing everyday objects into playful and highly tactile compositions for kids and families. We hope visitors will be inspired by the ingenuity and inventive practice of the collective as they interact with the artworks’, said Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV.

We Make Carpets created their first carpet in 2009 for Dutch Design Week and have exhibited at the Salone de Mobile in Milan and Diagonale in Montreal. The collective said ‘We rely on a hands-on approach when creating our installations, continually creating repetitive patterns with materials until something beautiful emerges and we hope our arrangements of everyday objects offer a new perspective of modern life for visitors of the gallery.’

Hands On: We Make Carpets for Kids is on display as part of NGV Triennial which runs from 15 December 2017 – 15 April 2018 at NGV International. Entry is free.