Wild colors, gentle lines? Engaging with color and line in an interactive children's environment

The opening (7. July 2020) of the research stations on the effects of various lines and colors in the ZOOM children’s museum after months of thinking, designing and re-designing (due to Covid-19 security measures) was definitely the project’s highlight. When we could finally start with a delay of two weeks the feedback of the children was heart-warming and motivating.

For many children, the first lockdown had been especially hard and as all museums, the ZOOM was confronted with closure. Children's culture was absent for months. Many children who came to our research stations told us, that it was the first event they attended after the lockdown.

During the installation (July-October 2020) over 200 children participated in the project. This is a success, particularly due to the containment strategies the museum had to initiate (a one-way system, prior registration for the exhibition and only a limited number of children allowed in the forum). Additionally, we could hold workshops with small groups of children and discuss with them their favorite colors, the universality of aesthetic effects of lines, and why they agree or do not agree on specific meanings of lines and colors.

These workshops resulted in nine animated short films, where the children expressed different moods or effects with only lines and colors (https://vimeo.com/459677269). These films were presented in a film premier with popcorn on September 19, 2020.