The Barbican Block

Barbican Blocks is a dynamic, sensory experience for under 5’s specifically designed for the Barbican Centre and last Saturday, 8th October, we had the opportunity to test it out at the Barbican OpenFest.
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​A collaboration between Pop Up Parks and Co-DB, OpenFest has been an amazing opportunity for us to prototype Blocks, observe it being used and gather information on what works and what could work be made to work even better. We were blown away with how well everyone responded to the project.

Blocks is stack of over 100 blocks, put together to make a cube, which , in guided sessions, is unpacked and used to create paths around the iconic Barbican foyers.

Each session was a cycle, starting with  a stack of bocks, ending with a stack of blocks and dismantling the stack to create sensory paths in between.

​One block at a time children laid out paths around the space. Every block has different properties, some children enjoyed the challenge of adapting to each one, whether heavier or floppy, rigid or rough. Others knew what they wanted and waited till the other blocks off the top had been taken. Some children worked in collaboration with parents, or other kids, while others were fiercely independent about the whole thing, thrilled to be doing it themselves.
 
Everyone, what ever their age seemed instantly to get the concept of the blocks as paths.

​We are looking forward to working with the Barbican to expand this project and are now looking into the possibilities of creating different stacks for a variety of early years settings.

Exciting times!!!!