July 10 to 14th was the 2019 Way Out West Festival for Children. CuriousWorks has been involved with WOW Festival since the start, and it is consistently one of the best (and busiest!) times of the year.
The WOW Kids Reporters were back, led by Shawn Spina, with assistance from Samantha Barahona and Sivani Yaddanapudi. Like last year, the WOW Kids Reporters roamed the festival, getting interviews and filming events. However, for the first time, the Kid Reporters took WOW Festival live on Wednesday and Friday afternoon on the Casula Powerhouse Facebook. You can check out their livestream from Day One and Day Three.
ReFILL also returned to WOW Festival this year with their Edible Country art stall. The Miller Technology High artists invited WOW participants to help them illustrate the history of Liverpool through clay tiles, engraving, printing and painting. They worked with over 200 young participants to create work for the giant pot that was gifted to the Bellbird Garden. Some members of the public also took part in our Augmented Reality River Walk using the EYEJACK app to explore stories of the Georges River/ Toggerai. Bellbird’s new pot is yet to be finished – but we’ll keep you up to date when it’s completed later this year!
Makers Space had their debut outcome at WOW Festival with their interactive VR project, Just Visiting. Just Visiting took participants, two at a time, into the world of The Organisation, a mysterious organisation that needs participants help to answer the ultimate question: WHO ARE THEY? Since WOW Festival, Makers Space has been invited to share the VR experience at other events and organisations – so if you saw us there, don’t spoil the mystery!
WOW Festival is a beautiful expression of the excitement, curiosity and imagination of young people, and we’re proud to be a part of it every year! We’ll see you again at the 10th WOW Festival at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in July 2020!