Art Outside: The City

Come with us on a walk through a busy city. There are so many things to take in! We can use our senses to help us explore different places.

Maybe you can watch the video and then take a walk outside with your grown-ups.

Plan to take a walk through your nearest city, town or village. You could even just plan a walk down your street.

Once you're outside, stop, listen, look up and around. What can you see, hear, touch and smell? Focus on one sense at a time - do all of them or just one or two!

The senses

• Smell - Can you smell anything? Is it a nice or nasty smell?
• Look - What can you see around you? Can you see colours or shapes? Does anything make a pattern?
• Listen - Shhhh! Be very quiet and stay still for a moment. What sounds are around you right now? Can you list them all?
• Touch - Are there any textures nearby that would be interesting to touch?

Slowing down and using the senses can help you experience your surroundings differently.

For our walk, we took inspiration from a famous artwork by an artist called Francis Alÿs.

His artwork is a video of him walking down a London street tapping on some railings with a stick!

Sounds kind of like he just went on a walk, right? He makes sounds with the stick and calls it a performance. He’s making music, so he’s making art! Why dont you give it a try?