The Disco Room
Light, sound, and colour that move together.
The Set Up
Turn your studio (or creative corner) into a living rhythm. Hang paper lanterns and let them become glowing disco balls with neon paints. Tape rows of foil to the walls so every brushstroke rustles and reflects.
Like with lots of our installations, the trick is movement. Hang the lanterns at different heights so kids can walk through, duck, twirl, and spin. It’s a painting and a dance party all at once!
We always (always) have music playing while we’re creating at Smudge, and it’s especially important this week! Playing a mix of songs while kids paint with different tempos and styles might change their gestures. Long, sweeping strokes for slow songs; quick bursts of colour when the beat drops.
Smudge Tip: Add a bubble machine or disco lights to bounce light across the foil. The space becomes kinetic, almost electric, with energy you can hear and feel.
The Making
Once the brushes hit paint, kids find their own rhythm and start responding to the music: it’s process art you can dance to! The best part? No one’s watching. Everyone’s too busy creating to worry about being neat. Liquid watercolours in spray bottles would also be gorgeous fun here if you wanted to create different sounds and textures as they spray vs paint.
Variations
Hang shiny ribbons, CDs, or tinsel curtains to add shimmer.
Try a glow-in-the-dark version with fluorescent paint.
Project coloured light onto the walls for an instant mood shift.
Materials
Paper lanterns or large cardboard spheres
Foil sheets
Washable poster paints (always with a glug of white!)
String, tape, scissors
Brushes, rollers, sponges
Optional: bubble machine, disco lights, or speaker
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The Disco Room
Light, sound, and colour that move together.
Bookmark
Installations
The Set Up
Turn your studio (or creative corner) into a living rhythm. Hang paper lanterns and let them become glowing disco balls with neon paints. Tape rows of foil to the walls so every brushstroke rustles and reflects.
Like with lots of our installations, the trick is movement. Hang the lanterns at different heights so kids can walk through, duck, twirl, and spin. It’s a painting and a dance party all at once!
We always (always) have music playing while we’re creating at Smudge, and it’s especially important this week! Playing a mix of songs while kids paint with different tempos and styles might change their gestures. Long, sweeping strokes for slow songs; quick bursts of colour when the beat drops.
Smudge Tip: Add a bubble machine or disco lights to bounce light across the foil. The space becomes kinetic, almost electric, with energy you can hear and feel.
The Making
Once the brushes hit paint, kids find their own rhythm and start responding to the music: it’s process art you can dance to! The best part? No one’s watching. Everyone’s too busy creating to worry about being neat. Liquid watercolours in spray bottles would also be gorgeous fun here if you wanted to create different sounds and textures as they spray vs paint.
Variations
Hang shiny ribbons, CDs, or tinsel curtains to add shimmer.
Try a glow-in-the-dark version with fluorescent paint.
Project coloured light onto the walls for an instant mood shift.
Materials
Paper lanterns or large cardboard spheres
Foil sheets
Washable poster paints (always with a glug of white!)
String, tape, scissors
Brushes, rollers, sponges
Optional: bubble machine, disco lights, or speaker
Back to Top
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Thoughts?
Would love to hear if youv'e tried this or have any ideas on how to make it even better!
