How does the physical environment impact on families perceptions of an arts event?

A research paper commissioned by Wild Rumpus

the

PEOPLE

Foreword
Rowan Hoban and Sarah Bird, Directors of Wild Rumpus Leggings sriracha kale chips wes anderson, irony before they sold out mumblecore fap tattooed chambray etsy mlkshk seitan photo booth. Occupy truffaut bicycle rights +1 american apparel fanny pack, pour-over letterpress readymade blog. Godard authentic brooklyn, helvetica pork belly fap before they sold out keytar squid banh mi leggings gluten-free bicycle rights. Pour-over echo park single-origin coffee readymade williamsburg photo booth. Organic butcher godard banh mi bicycle rights twee high life mustache. Fingerstache jean shorts synth, wolf put a bird on it vinyl keytar gentrify tumblr. Williamsburg bushwick hoodie odd future, artisan yr banksy retro terry richardson twee kale chips hella sartorial photo booth tattooed. Forage squid food truck, quinoa viral +1 vegan kogi. Echo park photo booth food truck, whatever yr cosby sweater small batch art party chambray. Ennui swag wolf banksy, etsy gastropub occupy american apparel leggings iphone vegan farm-to-table 8-bit mlkshk. Mumblecore echo park tattooed, retro occupy PBR leggings cardigan gluten-free vegan godard. 3 wolf moon forage chambray jean shorts banksy four loko, echo park readymade. Sriracha biodiesel freegan, irony salvia mlkshk pinterest mixtape. 3 wolf moon vice echo park, raw denim selvage fap helvetica authentic fingerstache photo booth shoreditch american apparel.

Research Aims and Objectives - p.01 Methodology - p.02 Literature Review - p.03 Spellbound Forest - p.12 Context and research interests Field observations Post-event survey Just So Festival - p.21 Context and research interests Field observations Post-event survey Focus Group Findings - p.31 Discussion - p.37 Bibliography - p.38 Research Team - p.43

Contents/ Contributors
Project Management Jim Ralley - The Big Art People Abigail Gilmore - Institute for Cultural Practices Field Research Lottie Clarke Paul Mayfield Jenny Oakenfull Jemma OBrien Tracy Simpson Literature Review Ginger Carlson Documentation Drew Forsyth Jake Ralley

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Research Aims and Objectives

Wild Rumpus CIC commissioned The Big Art People and Abigail Gilmore (Institute for Cultural Practices, University of Manchester) to researchthe relationship between their events, the experiences that families have as participants in their events, and the environments in which they take place. The central question for this research is: How does the physical environment impact on families perceptions of an arts event? Wild Rumpus are particularly interested in exploring impact of encouraging participation outdoors and in natural (as opposed to urban) landscapes. The research aims to contribute to an understanding of the effects that environments have on the experience of families, in order to help Wild Rumpus and other organizations to maximize and enhance positive effects in the future. It also aims to support advocacy for Wild Rumpus, providing evidential material for discussions within the arts sector about the need for this kind of arts provision. The research team had an initial scoping conversation with Wild Rumpus to help us define the research terms and requirements and, develop a clearer understanding of the work and motivations of the company. Wild Rumpus programme activities that: Encourage whole family engagement Foster individual creativity Increase family cohesion Take place in wild natural environments Create an immersive environment Have a festival feel to them

Phrases like taking risks, making memories, and creating transformative moments were also prominent in the conversation. Wild Rumpus have high expectations for the events that they produce, and the feelings that these evoke in event participants. This research explores how these aims are met through the Spellbound Forest and Just So Festival events.

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Methodology
We conducted the research with a mixed methods approach. This brought together a number of methods and types of knowledge into dialogue with each other, to question and explore the nature of experience in outdoor events. The methods included: Desk research taking the form of a literature review of academic research, policy, and practice, to develop a knowledge base for the subsequent field research. This research provided evidence based on secondary analysis of the kind of benefits and impacts we would expect Wild Rumpus events to have. It also pointed to the challenges for cultural programmers and supported a framework for primary enquiry. Empirical research focusing on Spellbound Forest and Just So Festival events Ethnographic research during both events, which included: Observation of behavior at the events; Semi-structured conversations with participants, using a set of predefined questions/prompts Documentation of both events in photo, video, and audio, and Non-intrusive participatory activities at the events Follow up online surveys to all participants at both events. Discussion groups with self-selecting informants who responded to a callout from Wild Rumpus, exploring their families habits, practices and experiences of participating in the arts in a variety of environments. Data from the primary and secondary research is discussed and analyzed through the lens of the research question to draw out common and emergent themes. Many of these are also identified by the literature review, below, divided into sections on outdoor spaces and physical techniques, artistic programming and natural environments, and families engagement with the outdoors and with arts programming.

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Literature Review
By Ginger Carlson This study offers an overview of some of the key issues and common themes that emerge from the research question, how does the physical environment impact on families perceptions of an arts event?. The study draws on literature from policy documents, academic and grey literature, from a diverse selection of sources, in order to present a broad introduction to the contextual environment of the research question. In order to address the issues that arise from the research question, this review has been divided into three sections. Firstly, this review discusses the benefits and techniques involved in the utilization of outdoor spaces. Secondly, the benefits of artistic programming are discussed as well as its relationship to natural and green spaces. Lastly, families experiences of both outdoor spaces and artistic programming are addressed. Outdoor spaces and physical techniques There has been a growing interest in the last few decades in the nature and value of play to the development and wellbeing of both children and adults in each policy, practice, and theory (Brooker & Edwards, 2010). In 2008, the National Play Strategy was launched by the UK government, which focused on the development of areas in which children play as well as the aim of considering how communities can become more child-friendly, on the basis that Fun and exciting opportunities to play are at the heart of a happy, healthy and enjoyable childhood (Play England, 2008). This perspective was supported by a comprehensive review of play that was completed by Stuart Lester and Wendy Russell entitled Play for a Change: Play, Policy and Practice: A review of contemporary perspectives, which drew upon evidence from a wide range of academic disciplines, policy documentation, and practice (2008). The review demonstrated that play can help build resilience - the capacity for children to thrive despite adversity and stress in their lives (Lester & Russell, 2008, p. 14) by enabling children to sample their environments and to try out a range of behaviors in a relatively low risk fashion (Lester & Russell, 2008, p. 22). The evidence presented in Play for a Change emphasized the interconnectedness of environment, health, well-being and development by reconsidering play through its intrinsic and neurological benefits, rather than its instrumental benefits (Lester & Russell, 2008, p. 24). This focus demonstrated the difficulties in measuring the impact of play and instead suggested that public provision for play focus on providing suitable environments for play rather than on instrumental outcomes (Lester & Russell, 2008, p. 45).

04

The importance of unpredictability and flexibility to play has been linked both in Play for a Change as well as in other literature to environments that provide opportunities for diverse play forms and a degree of risk (2008, p. 23; Lester and Maudsley 2006; Wells and Leckies 2006). While many different kinds of environments provide these factors, much research has emphasised the particular suitability of natural spaces as optimal settings for children to engage and actualise their drive to play (Wells and Leckies, Play, naturally: A review of childrens natural play, 2007, p. xiii; Fjrtoft & Sageie, 2000; Thompson and Travlou, 2009; Thompson, 2011; Moss, 2012). James Gibsons concept of affordance has been utilized in much recent literature on landscape experience (Wells and Leckies, 2001, p. 7; Aspinal, 2011; Gibson, 1979). Affordances are properties of environments, of all types, that indicate the possibilities of their utility. Essentially, the concept of affordances emphasizes how types of environments might encourage or support certain activities, for instance, small twigs might afford a variety of experiences, such as grasping, throwing, drawing, digging, and so on (Thompson and Travlou, 2009, p. 14-15). In terms of play, Wells and Leckies have argued that it is precisely the diversity and complexity of natural environments, which offer a wide range of possible interactions that makes nature so suitable to play interactions (2001). Research by Fjrtoft & Sageie has also convincingly demonstrated the affordances of natural environments to play activities. Their study, which focused on how a kindergarten group described and interacted with a forest indicated a strong relationship between the structure of the landscape and different play functions. For instance, woodlands and cliffs were used for climbing, whereas smooth topographies with open space and shrubbery were used for more traditional games like hide and seek (2001, p. 92). Further research by Fjrtoft has indicated that natural outdoor environments have numerous benefits: for example, children become more creative in their play and demonstrate better motor skills than children who play in a traditional playground (Fjrtoft, 2001; Maynard, 2007, p. 326). The beneficial relationship between outdoor environments and play has been utilized across the UK at what are called Forest Schools or Nature Schools. Originating in Scandinavia, Forest Schools involve regular interaction with natural landscapes over an extended period of time (OBrien, 2009). The Forest School Network has defined Forest Schools as an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self esteem through hands on learning experiences in a woodland

05

environment (Forest Education Initiative, 2007). As of 2009, OBrien recorded over one hundred Forest Schools in England and twenty in each of Scotland and Wales, a number which is steadily increasing (p. 45). The expanding literature on the benefits of interaction with outdoor environments and the increasing number of Forest Schools points to a changing understanding amongst governmental and non-governmental bodies of the potential of natural spaces. This potential is not limited to young persons development, however, as is evidenced by a number of studies which examine the relationship between access to natural spaces and the activity, physical and mental health, and quality of life of a variety of ages, ethnicities, and social groups (de Vries, Verheij, Groenewegen, & Spreeuwenberg, 2003; Kim & Kaplan, 2004; Mitchell & Popham, 2007, 2008; Thompson, 2011). Thompsons 2011 paper, for instance, drew from a wide variety of sources in order to investigate patterns of woodland use by various groups across a wide range of UK contexts and found that access to green and natural spaces correlated with higher levels of physical activity, health, and quality of life (p. 254). Other findings have indicated that participation in wilderness results in positive benefits such as enhanced self esteem and is of beneficial use for therapy, education, and leadership development programmes (Friese, Pittman & Hendee, 1995). The beneficial impacts of participation in outdoor spaces has been the subject of much recent research. Equally, the kinds of physical techniques that are carried out in natural environments have also been of much interest to researchers. For instance, how natural landscapes afford certain physical activities has been examined by studies that focus on green exercise (Pretty, Peacock, Sellens, Griffin, 2006; Barton, Griffin, Pretty, 2011). Green exercise refers to formal and informal activities that are carried out in natural settings. According to a number of studies, green exercise contributes to positive short and long-term physical and mental health and wellbeing at a much higher rate than similar exercises completed indoors (Pretty, Peacock, Sellens, Griffin, 2006; Barton, Griffin, Pretty, 2011; Thompson Coon, Boddy, Stein, Whear, Barton, Depledge, 2011). Further evidence suggests that maintenance of physical activity is most likely to occur in unstructured natural environments rather than formal structured facilities (Hillsdon, Thorogood, Anstiss & Morris, 1995). Pretty, Griffin, Peacock, Hine, Sellens & South (2005) identifies three levels of engagement with nature that include: viewing nature, as through a window or work of art; being in or nearby nature, which includes nature study, walking or cycling in a park, or outdoor arts activities; and active participation with nature, such as gardening, camping,

06

trekking or farming. Pretty et al. demonstrate that each of these levels have the potential to significantly enhance individual and social health and wellbeing (Pretty et al., 2005; Physical activity and health alliance, 2007). In spite of the benefits of interaction with outdoor spaces, much literature has found notions of perceived risk to be a powerful hindrance to the use of natural environments (Gill, 2006). In a review of the literature on barriers to young peoples use of the outdoors, Travlou (2006) identifies an almost unanimous consensus that points to notions of risk, such as safety and injury, bullying, getting lost, etc., as the primary hindrances towards use. These notions are powerful contributors to what Gill (2006) has called a growing culture of fear and which he argues strongly influences the shrinking horizons of childhood. It is important to note that these conceptions of the outdoors are not uniform across cultures, as for instance, in the case of Scandinavian countries in which there is a long tradition of emphasizing the value of interaction with outdoor environments (Gill, 2007). Artistic Programming and Natural Environments The publication of Francois Matarassos Use or Ornament: The Social Impact of Participation in the Arts Programmes, was the first large-scale attempt in the UK to bring together evidence of the social impacts of participation in the arts. The study considered some 90 projects, including interviews and questionnaires by over 500 people, and identified 50 social impacts of participation in the arts (1997). Use or Ornament provided a definition of the potential social benefits of the arts sector and a methodological approach for the assessment of their impact and was influential toward the publication of academic and policy literature that further considered the importance of the arts and culture to the wellbeing, personal growth, and social development of the individual within society (Hallsworth, Levitt & Krapels, 2008). A recent study by Ramsden et al. revealed that participation in arts activities have a number of beneficial effects, including, enhanced health and wellbeing; increased self esteem and self confidence; improved communication and social skills; and the development of leadership skills (2011, p. 10). The beneficial impacts of the arts on health and wellbeing are perhaps the most common and most publicized effects of participation in arts activities. According to a 2007 report by Arts Council England (ACE) entitled The Arts, Health and Wellbeing, there is increasing recognition that peoples health and wellbeing is influenced by a range of interconnecting factors and that the arts have an important part

07

to play in improving the health and wellbeing of people in many ways (p. 4). The report further argued that the arts should be integrated into health policy and funding. In a review of medical literature, Staricoff (2004) cited almost four hundred peer review papers that demonstrated the benefits of arts participation on a wide variety of health outcomes. As Ramsden et al. identify in their study on the impacts of grassroots arts activities on communities, arguably the most contested and most difficult impact to measure is that of aesthetics (2011, p. 30) Indeed, as Eleanor Belfiore and Oliver Bennett (2007) conclude in their study on the impact of encounters with the arts, it is not possible to develop a rigorous protocol for the assessment of the impacts of the aesthetic experience that can be boiled down to a handful of bullet-points and a user-friendly evaluation toolkit (p. 262-263). Despite the epistemological complexities inherent to notions of the aesthetic, much research has examined the relationship between aesthetic encounter and experiences of natural landscapes. A 2009 report prepared for the Forestry Commission, for instance, identified a wide range of philosophical and theoretical approaches to landscape aesthetics and perception (Thompson and Travlou). As defined by Gobster and colleagues, landscape aesthetic experience includes a feeling of pleasure attributable to directly perceivable characteristics of spatially and/or temporally arrayed landscape patterns (Gobster et al, 2007, p. 964; Thompson and Travlou, 2009, p. 5). Gobster further acknowledged however, that differences remain on which characteristics of landscape are considered directly perceivable and on how extensive, immediate, and direct a role cognitive processes and acquired value systems play in landscape aesthetic experiences (Gobster et al, 2007 p. 964; Thompson and Travlou, 2009, p. 5). As identified by Thompson and Travlou, perhaps the most divisive debate in landscape aesthetics concerns the objective - subjective divide, in which the extent to which aesthetic response is objectively or subjectively based is questioned (2009, p. 5). Gibsons concept of affordance has been further developed by Harry Heft in order to bridge the divide between these two conceptions of aesthetic experience (2010). According to Heft, affordances are neither mental constructs that a perceiver imposes on environments nor are they interpretations located in the eye of the beholder. Rather, affordances are properties of the environment that are both objectively real and psychologically significant (Thompson and Travlou, 2009, p. 6). Hefts conception of landscape experience is thus located in immediate experience of landscape, in which aesthetic and other responses to nature are dynamically perceived... in the context of action (Heft, 2007, p. 22).

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As identified by Thompson and Travlou, most empirical research on aesthetic engagement with nature is focused on visual dimensions and affectual responses, the latter of which are usually expressed in terms of like or dislike (2009, p. 11). Although some recent work has experimented with computer-generated visualizations, behavior patterns, and public engagement approaches, including focus groups and interviews, more research is needed in order to properly consider the aesthetic dimensions of natural spaces (Thompson and Travlou, 2009, p. 13; Jensen, 2006; Ode et. al, 2009; Moore and Cosco, 2010). Aesthetic engagement with outdoor spaces might be further encouraged through the implementation of artistic programming in natural environments, as in the case of public artworks, sculpture parks, and sculpture forests. The Forestry Commission, for instance, has collaborated with artists since the late 1970s, when it began to initiate artist residencies in Grizedale forest (Forestry Commission Scotland). A 2007-2008 report by Dave Pritchard provides the first national overview of the Forestry Commissions artistic programming and gives a detailed account of the arts activities that occurred up until 2007 (Artistic License). Although the report acknowledges that initial study of the benefits and outcomes of the Forestry Commissions artistic programming has been underdeveloped, Pritchard collates a wide variety of external and internal research in order to ascertain some potential outcomes, which he divides into: social and cultural values of woods, social inclusion and community engagement, communication and education, health and well-being, perceptions of risk, attracting visitors, economic impacts, forest design and aesthetics, and artistic achievements. Under these headings Pritchard identifies a number of positive outcomes that link previous research on both engagement with art and with green spaces, especially in regards to benefits to health, personal and community development, social inclusion, and well-being (2007). As Pritchard puts it: It seems clear that the Forestry Commissions arts activities add in unique ways to peoples awareness, understanding and valuing of trees, forests and woodland. They can be effective in addressing intangible values such as sense of place, cultural history and identity; and they help with reassessing the relationship between nature and society, and in rebuilding some of the lost connections (2007, p. 5). Families engagement with the outdoors and with arts programming Research examining characteristics of family leisure have consistently

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demonstrated a positive relationship between participation in family leisure and family strength (Holmon 1989; Orthner & Mancini, 1991). It has also been suggested that leisure has become the most important variable in the development of healthy relationships between a married couple as well as between parents and their children (Couchman, 1988). Green spaces and parks provide easily accessible and cost efficient opportunities for the building of cohesive family relationships. Just as research has shown that engagement with nature has positive individual effects, so too does it positively benefit family groups (GreenSpace, 2011). In 1997, Potter & Duenkel explored the meaning and structure of families residential camping experiences through qualitative research. Their findings suggest that such outdoor recreation programming is capable of enhancing the wellness and cohesiveness of the family unit. In 2002, Freeman and Zabriskie brought together two studies that explored the relationship between structured outdoor programming and family cohesion. Through an examination of the studies findings, Freeman and Zabriskie demonstrate a strong positive correlation between structured outdoor family recreation programming and family strength, a finding that further builds on research that has consistently demonstrated that participation in family recreation and leisure activities can strengthen families (Hawkes, 1991; Zabriskie, 2000). While much research has indicated that engagement with the arts has a variety of benefits, as Shaw notes in a literature review on the arts and neighbourhood renewal, there is a lack of research into the impacts of the arts on family life (1999). A recent study by RAND Corporation offers some insight into this shortcoming. Entitled Gifts of the Muse Reframing the Debate About the Benefits of the Arts, the report brings together a wide variety of literature in order to ascertain, evaluate, and improve current understanding of the effects and benefits of participation in the arts (McCarthy, Ondaatje, Zakaras & Brooks). McCarthy et al. provide a comprehensive analysis of the literature in order to consider both instrumental and intrinsic benefits of the arts and offer recommendations for their continued development (2005). The reports valuation of intrinsic and personal benefits along with instrumental benefits offers a broad understanding of the impacts of arts participation (2005). In moving away from an understanding of the benefits of artistic programming through purely measurable outcomes and towards one that acknowledges the complexity and diversity of art experiences, the study underscores the importance of sustained involvement in the arts and its relationship to both instrumental and intrinsic benefits (2005). Importantly, MCarthy et al. identify that although there has been a wide body of research that makes the case for the arts instrumental

10

outcomes, the lack of research that considers intrinsic benefits such as pleasure, creation of social bonds, and cognitive growth, points to a missing element in the understanding of arts effects. As McCarthy et al. put it, people are drawn to the arts not for their instrumental effects, but because the arts can provide them with meaning and with a distinctive type of pleasure and emotional stimulation (McCarthy et al., 2005, p. xv). This point is particularly revealing when the lack of research on the impacts of the arts at a family level is considered. Although studies have repeatedly shown that one of the primary reasons for attending arts events is related to family interests, the relationship between arts activities and family experiences remains under researched (Walker, 2002) This research paper aims to contribute to that small body of research, given its importance for countless arts organizations working with the arts, children, young people, and families. Key points to take forward into analysis of the field research The findings from the literature review highlight the relationships assumed by families participating in arts programming in outdoor settings and natural landscapes, and point to a range of evidence of the benefits and effects this participation may have. These include the impact of the aesthetic and physical structures of natural landscapes on the different play functions which these environments support, leading to greater creativity in childrens play, and better motor skills. Greater in fact than in play which takes place in other environments. Access to natural spaces is related to increased quality of life for a wide variety of ages and social groups, including enhanced self-esteem and therapeutic, educational, and leadership development uses. Green exercise physical recreation outdoors is found to have greater wellbeing impacts than indoor activity. Whilst there is clear evidence of correlation between play/recreation and wellbeing/quality of life, the benefits of focusing only on measuring instrumental outcomes are questionable. Instead, the research suggests there should be more focus on creating environments for playful and recreational activities, through policy initiatives and programming which take advantage of the affordances of outdoor, natural landscapes. Research suggests there are three levels of engagement in natural landscapes viewing, being in, and active participation and associated benefits with all

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three types. The cognitive process and aesthetic experiences associated with the affordances of environments are linked to the active participation of individuals. They interpret their environments through interaction and engagement, looking, touching, and other sensory experiences. There is also a wealth of evidence about the social and cultural impacts of arts engagement, particularly in relation to health and wellbeing factors. Indeed, causal relationship between the arts and their benefits (and potential negative impacts) to society has been a central theme of cultural policy since the writings of Plato. There is less focused evidence about the experiences of families and their relationship to the arts, although there is a growing understanding and confirmation of the importance of family-based practices and familial role models in the on-going participation and tastes of children as they grow up. Barriers to increasing families outdoor arts participation are predominantly concerned with perceptions of risk safety, injury, fear of getting lost. These perceptions are cultural (in the wider sense) in that some societies in this research most notably Scandinavian countries have more established practices and infrastructures which encourage engagement in the outdoors, and widely different perceptions and concerns about risk. Arts programming in managed natural landscapes like Forestry Commission sites - is actively encouraged by the research which demonstrates a wide range of impacts and values. This includes extrinsic benefits to individuals and to the localities of these sites (for example through visitor economies), as well as highlighting the unique properties and affordances of natural landscapes that make these impacts possible. We now turn to the empirical research undertaken for this project to explore these findings further.

Spellbound Forest

I believe in fairies. First time I have seen my Dad smiling!!! I liked spending the day with my mummy. I saw the tree and it had an eye. I loved doing crafts Playing in the muddy puddles. Hill sliding on my bottom Meeting prince Fredrick. Im free.

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Context
A new day-long event for 2012, Spellbound Forest took place in Delamere Forest, Cheshire on the 19-20th May. Families entered on a timed ticket, and were directed to three separate paths through the forest. Each path took participants through a different traditional English fairy tale. The stories were told in a participatory manner, through theatre, music, spoken word, writing, and dance, employing actors, dancers, creative writers, willow-weavers and other creative practitioners alongside conventional event staff to produce an immersive environment which encourage families to collaborate in the story-telling. There was a two-circuit route for the timed journeys through the stories, along the paths of the Delamere Forest, which ended in the in a picnic area with food, drink, and dancing. It was anticipated that most families would spend 3-4 hours in the forest. Entry was 12.50 per adults and 7.50 for children aged 3-16. Children under 3 were free. Spellbound Forest was designed as an immersive, magical, participatory, whole family experience. Participants were invited to step out of their ordinary lives into a fairytale world with characters from the page who came to life, who were clothed by children or spied running through the forest. There were multiple structured and semi-structured participation opportunities which were offered by the Spellbound Forest, which included: Reading text extracts dotted around the forest, which drew participants along the path of the stories; Interacting with the actors answering questions, and acting out parts on request; Adding tatters to Tattercoats dres; Co-producing an English fairytale by writing elements and drawing characters, in a project supported by Manchester Metropolitan University; Dancing with the Princesses and playing hide-and-seek at the Fairy Ball; Making hobbyhorses and wands from found branches and twigs and other materials; Making and adding to the origami crane birds in the Earl Mars Daughter story Listening to the sounds and music in the Forest, including a specially commissioned piece, The Book of Imaginary Beings which was written by composer James Stephenson see http://www.spellboundforest.org.uk/book-

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imaginary-beings/ Ahead of the experience, parents could prepare their children for the event, through listening to and reading the the four English fairy tales that formed part of the event. These can be found at http://soundcloud.com/wildrumpus-1 They could also follow-up the event by contributing to a crowd-funded and crowd-sourced brand new English fairy-tale which brought together the contributions from children during the two event days see http://www. spellboundforest.org.uk/help-crowdfunding-english-fairytale/ Specific Research Interests The design of Spellbound Forest was such that it presented a number of interesting elements which posed new questions for the empirical field research. Duration of participation: Participants were engaged for a short amount of time relative to the Just So Festival, but a longer amount of time relative to other arts activities which families might usually attend (workshops, stories, films, etc) The outdoor environment, natural landscape and opportunities to engage with the forest: The event took place in a public, outdoor space, where families may ordinarily undergo more mundane types of participation and recreation walking, nature trails, and so on. There were predefined paths along which participants were directed but which they did not have to take The uniqueness and difference of the kind of experience (relative to more familiar participation experiences): The stories that formed the core of the experience were relatively unknown compared to traditional fairytales, and although the craft activities may have ones familiar to children at home, the context of outdoor forest setting where the materials are found and which relate to elements of the stories, may have a role in producing the immersive experience and bring particular benefits to participation.

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At the Event
Field Observations, Informal Interviews, and the Memory Tree N.B. Verbal consent was attained for all interviews at the event, and no names are used. Three field researchers attended the Spellbound Forest event. They observedthe actions and interactions of participants, asked questions in as unobtrusive a manner as possible, and captured everything in written form on the day. They also ran a Memory Tree exercise that aimed to capture immediate impressions and feelings about the festival from adults and children. The event was also photographed and filmed for further post-hoc observation. The comprehensive set of field notes have been condensed into a series of themes and quotations that aim to give the impression of Spellbound Forest from a research perspective. Active Participation During the event, the forest was alive with the movement of families following the trails of stories, the design of which led to pulses of groups moving through the different staged activities. Some of these were timed by the narration of actors or by the time it took to undertake a task or make something before moving on. Other areas were free-flowing as children and adults were engaged in activities almost outside of time. The opportunities for structured participation proved hugely popular, with clusters of families grouped around these areas and taking time out from their paths in the stories. Some parents revealed their surprise at the amount of time they stayed in forest, particularly around the Fairy Ball in the centre. There was a gender divide in some of the modes of participation, for example, boys were observed to be more likely to run off and play in the woods, and less likely to stay engaged in the stories (which were generally performed for the children by the actors in promenade theatre style). This divide was most clearly displayed at the Grand Ball area, where the dance floor was full of girls dancing with the princess, and the boys were climbing up the banks and hiding in the woods. In general, for the structured activities there seemed no difference between the enthusiasm of boys and girls for taking part. Despite the encouragement to engage with the natural environment offered by the location, and the use of natural materials, most families appeared to engage in the Forest as part of the event rather than in and of itself. They were fully invested in taking part and staying predominantly within the boundaries created by the stories. This was noticeable in observation of peoples use of mobile phones, where there seemed a reluctance in allowing phones calls and other uses of digital

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technologies to intercede in the forest environment or interrupt engagement. There was widespread observed use of cameras, and of smartphones for photography. The dressing up, props, and characters provided many photo opportunities, and the chance for memory making. Aesthetic Experience Participants described the event with words like lovely, simple, magical. They recognized and supported the aims of the event, and could explicitly relate them to their own objectives for parenting and for their childrens experiences. One parent discussed memory making with a researcher, explaining the importance that fairy stories had played in her life, and how she was keen for her children to capture these things at this age. The immersive experience was therefore supported and co-created by parents. They were complicit in the suspension of disbelief, helping tocreate the magical environment for their children by encouraging attentionon the objects they were making, keeping their roles in the performance going, and helping children to participate fully in the artifice of the stories. Often they covered for lack of response to actors, embellishing links to the stories. Grandfather to Grandchild: Look! There is something in the swamp! Im sure I saw something move out there. Have you got your tasers? The event management and grouping/coding of the activities encouraged this collusion, and the cracks that inevitably appeared in the make-believe (missing props, high-viz jackets, phones ringing) were generally either papered over or ignored. Many children were clearly immersed in the experience. One researcher observed a boy between activities retelling the story he had heard up to that point. The stories were real and exciting to him. Similarly the exchanges between parents and children, often led by the children, were concerned with preserving the continuity of the story and/or the interpretation of what to do in the forest Im just going to put some magic dust on my horse to make him real; Ah. The horse is tired, put him up on the pushchair so he can sleep. Children were also really instrumental in explaining elements of the story back to their parents - he has lost his daughter and that is why he is sad (re old Lord in Tattercoats). Engaging with the Environment Several parents commented on the safe atmosphere, and also that they felt like

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they were amongst like-minded people. In conversations with the researchers, parents remarked on their own reference points articles in the Guardian, their membership of the National Trust, their own childhood experiences of Enid Blyton, which signaled shared symbolism as well as socio-economic and political demographics. The activities in the event enveloped and worked with the natural landscape. There was little engagement with wildlife as the properties and activities of the event took over. However, there was some spontaneous adaptive use of the affordances of the environment: sword and den making specifically outside of the structured activities. Most families were prepared for the natural environment, and many embraced it by setting up picnics en route to or around the Fairy Ball, eschewing the on-site catering outlets. One father expressed concern at the impact that this event would have on the natural environment as he noted the bark shavings down in the Grand Ball area. His three boys loved the outdoor environment and were hungry for more active engagement with nature. They mentioned that dens dotted around the central area would have been nice. Management of the Environment Managed risk was obvious around the Grand Ball with its high banks aroundthe stage. As mentioned above, boys were scrambling up the slopes and playing, whilst some of the characters were playing hide and seek in the trees with children, which although enjoyable was a clear source of concern for some parents who wanted to keep children in sight. On the second day these banks had been roped off and site management were denying children access to them. The risk element had been taken out of the experience. Not all participants were happy with being given the responsibility for selfdirection and self-management offered by the events emphasis on co-creation. There were some comments about the lack of signage, or clear direction, and that the first few activities would have really benefitted from volunteers directing the action. There was also frustration at the curated activities being swamped by large groups of participants, which was exacerbated by disjointed groups appearing at performance areas in staggered stages. However this is balanced by the overwhelming response of engagement, and in many cases awe shared by families as borne out by the comments from the post-event survey discussed below.

Post-Event Survey
N.B. This online survey was targeted at the ticket buyers. As such the answers do not represent those of children and young people.

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How much did your family enjoy the event? (n.101)

1% 2% 1% 0%

3% 2%

12%

22% 22%

Not at all

36%

A lot

How would you rate the quality of the performances and activities? (n.99)
2% 2% 1% 1% 3%

6%

11%

Not at all

24% 26% 23%

A lot

How would you rate the practical facilities? (n.101)

6%
Awful
3%
0% 0%

8% 4%

15%

41% 12% 12%

Yes 91%

Brilliant

In the last 12 months, has your family taken part in arts activities? (n.101)
Yes 96% No 4%

Would you attend a similar Wild Rumpus event again? (n.101)

No 9%

In the last 12 months, has your family visited a museum or art gallery? (n.99)
Yes 95% No 5%

Did your family participate in new types of arts activity? (n.102)

Yes 62% No 38%

What was your main worry about coming to Spellbound Forest? (n.99)

Did you consider this event to be good value? (n.99)

Yes 83% No 17%

36% Weather
22% No worries
6% Boredom 5% Being on time
3% Not living up to expectations 3% Not having kids to bring along
2% Car parking 2% Not having enough time 2% Access for prams 2% Too crowded

11% Unsuitable for my kids (age)

96% White
1% Chinese 1% Black/Black British

Which of the following best describes the ethnicity of members of your family? (n.98)

2% Mixed

5% Other

Postcode Mapping
By mapping the postcodes gathered at the point of booking we quickly build a picture of how far people travel to attend Spellbound Forest. As the event lasts between 3 and 4 hours it is unsurprising that most participants are from the North West and Staffordshire. Within the North West they are clustered around South Manchester, Sale, Altrincham, Macclesfield, and Bollington. There is also a strong concentration around Liverpool and the Stoke area. The longest distance travelled was a family from Redhill in Surrey. 214 miles and 4 hours away from Delamere Forest.

19

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What kind of people came to Spellbound Forest? Attenders are already very engaged in the arts and culture, with 96% having taken part in arts activities in the last year, and 95% having visited a museum or gallery. This compares highly favourably with the national statistics Taking Part data, which records a national average of 79% and 51% for adult annual arts engagement and museum visits respectively (DCMS, 2012). There was also relatively little ethnic diversity, with just 6% non-white attenders (lower than the total in England and Wales of 12.7%. ONS). The origins of attenders were heavily concentrated around the North West, specifically Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, and rural Cheshire. What were peoples expectations and concerns for the event? The data shows that the weather was the main worry parents had before coming to the event. The field team observed that most families were well equipped for the wet weather, with raincoats, wellies, and umbrellas. The majority of families who attended tried out arts activities which were new to them during the event. The qualitative feedback accompanying this figure shows that it was the making elements that were new for most people: the wand-making, the hobby-horse construction, and the contribution to the willow birds nest. Any other comments? We invited participants to feed back any other comments that they felt hadnt been covered in the survey. These comments can be grouped around a set of themes, explored below. The Environment - Participants liked the outdoor experience, the mud and the wet were seen as real positives - Several commented that it was lovely being outside for a change - The space had been transformed: the forest looked enchanting Aesthetic Experience - Magical was a word used by a lot of participants - Activities encouraged really active participation with both parents and children it was a whole family experience for many - Families reported being captivated by the magic, enjoying the immersive experience - Would have been nice to have a book of stories as a takeaway - Take a lot of it back to use in my Primary classroom

The pitter patter of rain on our lovely tent :) Ill remember banging out the beat with the samba band. Cooperative atmosphere and everyone was relaxed. I learnt to play an Abba song on my brand new ukulele with the man from St. Johns Ambulance. Had the most amazing time dancing with my 73 year old mum, who discovered her inner belly dancer thanks to the Gypsies! I love to dance, even if children did steal my croc all night.

Just So Festival

22

Context
This was the third annual Just So Festival. The two previous festivals have been very successful, with the 2011 festival winning the Green Parent Best Family Festival award. In 2012 the festival moved from the 65 acre forested Barnswood site in Staffordshire to Rode Hall Park in Cheshire. The festival took place from Friday 17th to Sunday 19th August. Families could buy weekend tickets or day tickets, and they could decide to camp, stay in a yurt provided by the festival, bring a campervan, or not to stay at all. Over the three days there were 124 scheduled activities in 11 designated areas, covering much of the Rode Hall park and garden land. The event tagline is evocative, and indicative of the emphasis on an immersive transformative experience that Spellbound Forest aimed to create: Take your family on a journey of the imaginationa magical weekend of creative adventures. Specific Research Interests The festival has four principle aims that helped to frame our field research, survey analysis, and subsequent write up. These are: - To embed the arts in a natural landscape, a wild, woodland space. Giving children the freedom to engage freely with no pressure. - To challenge expectations of the arts, by allowing spontaneous and impulsive engagement. Children should be allowed to respond immediately without the restrictions present in galleries and concert halls. - To offer an intense experience for families. Enabling full immersion in an artistic landscape, in an environment designed to surprise and inspire at every turn. - To encourage a legacy of active participation in the audience. To involve them in making events, performances, and artworks spectacular. There are some challenges for participating families embedded in this value proposition, and which raised research questions for the field researchers. How will families respond to the encouragement offered by the affordances of the environment to be spontaneous and impulsive?

23

What are the correct ways to behave and what is unacceptable? What is the capacipty of parents and families to sustain participation over a 3-day event? What are their expectations of the events organization and how might they change their behaviours to relate to the context? For some families this would be their first time camping, whereas others would have experience and expectations on what a camping holiday is like. Similarly, this would be some families first experience of a festival, and others would be quite accustomed to the format.- How did the experience of daytrippers differ from that of weekenders? What are the implications for experience of time and routine? Unlike Spellbound Forest there was no cohesive set of narratives drawing the activities together.How were notions of risk and uncertainty apprehended by parents (and children)?

24

At the Event
Field Observations, Informal Interviews, results from the Postbox, and Have Your Say N.B. Verbal consent was attained for all interviews at the event, and no names are used. Active Participation As with the Spellbound Forest, and with the Just So Festivals in previous incarnations, the structured and semi-structured opportunities to participate in arts, creative and recreational activities proved hugely popular and the vast array of tents, workshops, areas, and interactive environmental materials (dressing up clothes, play areas, circus skills equipment, stone-balancing, and many more) were constantly animated by those taking part. Some of the activities which were familiar to previous attenders were alighted on with delight and recognition for example, the popular Fairy Queen whereas others engaged new audiences with new activities for example, pirate training and saw violin playing. This popularity sometimes meant queuing and running out of workshop materials, however, the wide range of timed performances and activities in the different locations meant the variety and proximity of opportunities to do, listen, and watch others was sufficient to exhaust the hardiest of active participant. Alongside the many curated activities, workshops and timed activities, active participation also took the form of co-presence with other families, in festivalgoing character, complete with face-paint and suitable clothing. Participation didnt necessarily need to take the form of the festival workshops prescribed a lot of time and interest was devoted to bubble-blowing (and popping) and to skimming stones in the lake. A performer commented that he experienced a genuine feeling of coproduction, that there were few restraints placed on him by the management/ creative team. As a counter to this though he also said that they could ask much more from performers, shaping a more cohesive and quality offer. There were also observed instances of performed parenting the act of getting involved in activities but with an element of self-awareness and even deprecation. These were external signs of commitment to taking part in family/children activities, for example the performing dads who dressed up, wore face-paint, and get stuck in physical activities. For some (for example, those who took part in the moustache competition) this commitment was quite extensive highly visible and began outside of the bounds of the festival event.

25

Aesthetic Experience Participants and performers agreed that the atmosphere is unique. One commented that it is more like a village fete in feel than a festival. The lack of powered sound systems and pressures that other festivals have creates this atmosphere. Some participants were clearly delighted at the fact that they just happened upon things whilst wandering around, and the incidental affordances of the different zones and layout within the festival allowed for surprises and hidden treasures (most notably in Wild Things and the High Seas, which was the hardest place to locate). There was also observation of the mild anxiety of parents who werent able to navigate the festival site and some frustration that they wouldnt be able to get their children to the places they wanted to visit or to timed activities. To properly experience the festival, one father said that you should try to fit with kids time, not adults time. The design of the activities and space does allowfor serendipity, but he wasnt sure this worked for adults, who try to stick to a schedule, take part in timed activities, and fully participate in the programme. Engaging with the Environment Participants and volunteers perceived the lake as the area of highest risk the danger of small children bowling themselves into the water was too anxietyraising for one, who commented Im going I dont feel safe here. Similarly some areas presented other natural dangers, being home to piles of logs, patches of nettles, and areas of thistles. Children were observed falling into the nettles and reacting with horror and pain. Other comments articulated the participants experience of landscape and environment - the festival was described as a place that wasnt the city. The perception of the environment was that it wasnt a planned space, and in that it promoted freedom of action and freedom of thought. Management of the Environment The camping facilities at the festival site produced negative and positive comments from families, depending on their expectations and previous experiences of festivals and camping.

26

One father commented that there is a pervasive feeling of fear about children roaming free in todays society (echoing the culture of fear described in the literature review above). The festival space as a managed space, with event staff on hand to support and help with any problems, mitigates for these fears to some degree. However many parents are understandably loathe to let their children out of sight (a reason often giving for not attending regular festivals). The management of the site for Just So provides opportunities for parents to take part or to sit close by and watch as children take part freely in play in a more managed and open environment, however, and the crowds are made up of families with similar interests and concerns. Some liked the ways in which the site had been managed to allow them to navigate nature with small children in pushchairs e.g. through the tarmac paths. The risks proffered by engaging in new experiences camping, outdoor festivals, particular types of participation, were also evident amongst some comments from families in relation to their expectations. One family, who were regular campers, were disappointed with what their experience of the site, based primarily on what they felt it should facilitate. They were critical of the camping facilities, and that they had been prohibited from riding their bikes, and commented that there wasnt enough for their older children. In general, responses from the families were articulate, knowledgeable and also judgmental, particularly in relation to the elements of the festival experience they felt they should expect. This was most notable in relation to Just So regulars, who used their previous experience at Barnswood as a benchmark for Just So 2012. They were consistently appreciative of the Just So offer and knew what they felt they could expect in terms of activities, places to visit and findand facilities, and used these experiences as frame for judging this years festival, placing a focus on the differences between sites and environments. It became clear from the consistency of answers that Just So regulars want to (re)create similar or the same experiences they wanted to know that a Beach was available or that there would be a midnight feast. Postbox Results The non-intrusive participatory activity that the research team implemented at Just So Festival was a giant postbox. Children and adults were given a gold coin and invited to vote for their favourite area of the festival. They were also given the chance to have their say, by standing on a box and shouting across the festival with a megaphone. The results of these exercises are below.

(n.170)

27

Wild Things 23%

The High Seas 17%
Away With the Fairies 13% Lazy Days 12%
Forty Winks 9%
Nowhere Now 6% The Social 6%
Elsewhere 4% The Worlds a Stage 4% Footlights 4%
Jitterbug 2%
Peekaboo 1%

I like playing with bubbles! I like it outside cos its muddy! Best thing about being outside - playing on the trampoline! The best thing about camping is STORIES! Best thing about outside is fresh air Best thing about camping is the bonfire. Im looking forward to seeing Michael Buckey! (author) The best thing about today was building dens! Best thing about today was playing pirates! I liked playing with the Queen in the woods! I like free porridge! Im really looking forward to making wings! The best thing about outside is lots of room to run! Best thing about today was seeing all the plays. The best thing about Just So was the Gruffalo. The best thing about outside is bikes! Just So is amazing! Its great! The best thing about being outside is spending time together. Im looking forward to digging a hole!

Post-Event Survey
N.B. This online survey was targeted at the ticket buyers. As such the answers do not represent those of children and young people.

28

How much did your family enjoy the event? (n.305)

2% 2%

0%

1% 1%

6%

Not at all

15% 25% 18%

30%
A lot

How would you rate the quality of the performances and activities? (n.301)

0% 0%

3% 4% 4%

10%

21%

Not at all

31% 17%

10%
A lot

How would you rate the practical facilities? (n.300)

2%

6% 7% 4% 12%

15% 21% 18% 9% 6%

Brilliant

Awful

In the last 12 months, has your family taken part in arts activities? (n.294)
Yes 99% No 1%

Is your family likely to attend the festival next year? (n.305)

Yes 72% No 18%

In the last 12 months, has your family visited a museum or art gallery? (n.294)
Yes 96% No 4%

Did your family participate in new types of arts activity? (n.278)

Yes 66% No 34%

What new activities did your family participate in? (n.167)

How would you rate this experience against more traditional arts forms and venues? (n.290)
Better 74% Other 26%

18% Circus skills

10% Camping
6% Making
4% Dancing 4% Trapeze
3% A festival 3% Campre

8% Stone balancing

2% Pirate training 2% Clay faces 2% Baby yoga 2% Dissecting owl pellets

1% Pirate puppet show

35% Other

93% White
1% Asian/Asian British 1% Other

Which of the following best describes the ethnicity of members of your family? (n.98)

5% Mixed

Postcode Mapping
By mapping the postcodes gathered at the point of booking we can again quickly build a picture of how far people travel to attend Just So Festival. As this event lasts for up to 3 days it is unsurprising that many participants travelled long distances. There was less concentration around the North West than with Spellbound Forest, with more families coming from Staffordshire, the Birmingham area, and up the A38 corridor towards Sheffield. There were also many families from London. The longest distance travelled was a family who came from Jersey for the event. This is a 353 mile and 10 hour journey. Visitors also came from Scotland, Devon, and East Kent.

29

30

Of the 218 comments that were made on the feedback form, the most commonly used words/phrases were: Next year in 25% of the comments Activities in 23% Children in 19% Booked in 8% Organization in 8% Rode Hall in 6% Improved in 5% Sand pit in 5% Facilities in 5% Ice cream in 4% The findings from the field research were confirmed through the responses to the final question of the online survey, asking for any other comments. As such, most of the condensed responses below serve to highlight recurrent themes. Active Participation People liked the interactivity of the activities, and that many of these activities were collective experiences, some of them seemingly spontaneous (like dancing and singing around the campfire). Participants enjoyed the serendipitous discovery of activities that they would not normally do their children. Aesthetic Experience This was described as being better than most museums. A unique and eccentric experience. There was repeated use of the words freedom, happiness, togetherness, memories, and thanks. Environment Families enjoyed the lack of structure and the freedom that the natural environment afforded them. Many were positive about the new venue, and commented on the excellent use of the space and the grounds.

31

Focus Group Findings

As part of this research into families experiences of arts activities we interviewed four women who had attended Just So Festival 2012 with their families. They were recruited to two focus groups through the Wild Rumpus email list and through existing contacts made at the festival itself. Full consent was granted by all participants for us to transcribe, use, and paraphrase their responses to the discussion. We have made the findings anonymous, drawing out key themes that emerged in each of the groups. They were conducted as semi-structured conversations, with some prompt questions used to focus the participants. But they were not rigidly facilitated. The conversations flowed in relation to the families specific experiences, family dynamics, and interests. Below we gather together the emergent themes, using some commentary to support quotes. Our headline question is: How does the physical environment impact on families experiences of an arts event? As with the field work, it is useful to unpack this question, looking at: The physical environment, specifically looking at the natural environment The idea of the family and how that is a definition constantly in flux Experience, and how different people experience different activities in different ways based on their previous knowledge and expectations Arts events. Asking if there is a substantive difference between an arts event in a natural environment and any other kind of event, or indeed any other kind of environment In breaking the question down like this we aimed to approach the research question in this context with as little bias as possible. Families The families in the focus groups were clearly divided along age lines. The first group had children aged between 9 and 13 yrs, and the second group between 2 months and 5 yrs. Their experience of the arts and family activities in general is defined by the age of their children. They all spoke about how the types of activity they can do as a family changes over time.
There was definitely a window when we could all do whole family things together. Maybe itll happen again when theyre all teenagers.

32

For families with younger children there was the expectation that they would be able to do more with their children once they were older. And for families with older children the main concern was that they would grow up too quickly. One participant spoke about how their son was starting to take a really active choice in his own arts participation, but that this meant he sometimes declined an offer to do something with the family. They spoke about a constantly shifting idea of whole family participation, with activities rarely catering to the oldest and youngest members of a family: often being slightly too advanced or basic to keep everyone fully engaged. Environments and Activities In addition to Just So Festival (and for some, Spellbound Forest) we asked what other kinds of activities the participants did as a family. They were generally highly engaged, visiting art galleries, museums, theatres, and more commercial events. Several locations were mentioned several times throughout the focus groups: Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), National Trust (NT) properties, Imperial War Museum North (IWMN), and The Lowry. They found out about events and exhibitions in these locations through a wide variety of sources: email, word of mouth, Facebook, Twitter, flyers, with no real preference for any one. Opportunistic attendance was clearly common, meaning that they would look for events that coincided with a trip to a specific city or visit to see a relative. Each environment has affordances that make it conducive or not to families enjoyment. Broadly the YSP was seen as the most enjoyable space from this point of view for some of the families.
I think freedom is a massive thing for (the kids). Something like the YSP hit us because it wasnt age specific. Its awesome. Not weather dependent. Its hands on.

The freedom, and the serendipitous discovery of huge, man-made objects in a natural landscape was commented on by all of the participants. They liked that their children could run and make noise without them having to parent them. For the parents with the younger children, National Trust properties offered similar experiences to both the YSP and Just So Festival.

33

Its probably the most comparable experience to Just So. It combines outdoor roaming around, parents like it, in a beautiful place, and its accessible. If you want to go for a walk and youre not a walker, or you have a pram, theyre great. You know there are going to be toilets and you know that you can get a cup of tea. We go to specific kids events at NT properties too. You can involve grandparents, and you can go again and again.

NT properties, like the YSP, are beautiful managed environments. They are safe spaces with clearly defined boundaries, where parents can let their children run free without fear of losing them. It was though, the outdoor element to both NT properties and the YSP that the participants thought appropriate for family activities, not the indoor elements. In such indoor spaces they spoke about how they felt they do more parenting. About how being in a gallery or museum space brings with it inherent rules and restrictions, and expectations on calmness, order, and quiet.
Its the adults who feel awkward that their children might be upsetting some other people. Youre tense which you pass on to them.

The Imperial War Museum North (IWMN) was mentioned in this respect, as a space with lots of interesting and engaging objects, but nothing for children to touch or play with outside of the handling table.
Surely they could have a few things? They should have some kind of experience there that allows them to be children.

There is a clear expectation here from the parents that public galleries and museums should cater more to families, and specifically more to children. That they should provide objects for children to touch, and spaces for them to run around and be loud in.
At the end of the day an art gallery really is a runway, and they just want to leg it down there.

It is not, however, just the fact that the experience of IWMN is indoors, that the parents were critical of. They all talked positively about experiences at The Lowry Theatre, and how their children of all ages were captivated by the magic of immersive performances in a really traditional theatre space. This raises some interesting questions about the design of spaces and experiences for broad and narrow audiences, and how that might impact on programming and curating. The Lowry is a sit-down experience, but one where the content of each performance is highly tailored towards an audience and an age-range. Galleries

34

and museums choose to cater to a broad audience, and their exhibitions generally focus on their core, adult visitor. This is why family friendly arts activities are generally programmed alongside the core exhibitions. The YSP and NT properties in contrast are open spaces where families, children, and adults of all ages define their own activities. As a kind of hybrid of all these, Just So Festival aims to engage with whole family groups of all ages through structured and semistructured activities, in an open, natural, and managed environment. In terms of how the physical environment impacts on these experiences, it is clear that the activities themselves both shape and are shaped by the environment. The environment is not a wholly determining factor on the kind of activity that might take place, though it is a restricting factor in terms of the freedoms that programmers might have. Families have expectations of what organizations and spaces are going to provide for them, which are determined through communications, through previous experience, and through word of mouth. Letting Children Be Children All of the focus group participants camped for the full weekend at Just So Festival. They had all also camped before, and in more basic conditions than were at the festival. Whilst not an arts activity, camping (and similarly, trips to the beach) made possible the kind of open, whole family experience that the YSP and NT properties afforded.
Camping is good because theres that freedom again. Children do revert to being children if you take away the things that stop them being children.

Freedom is the key idea here, and one that was repeated many times during both of the focus groups. The children and families look for a space in which to play. They want something out of the ordinary. They talk about camping as a kind of voluntary disconnection from the everyday world where children arent allowed to be children. An exploration of this idea of what children should be acting like is outside the scope of this research, but its interesting to reflect on what these things are that stop children from being children, and how a parents idea of what children should be and do might be different from a childs own conception of this. In addition to freedom, the participants talked about the sense of responsibility that being in an open, natural environment gave to their children. In a non-linear and relatively unrestricted setting they have agency to choose their own activities

35

and create their own fun. In the case of camping, children can choose to play an integral role in the familys experience, within the safety of a semi-structured framework.
Theres a responsibility, were cooking over a stove, were all in it together.

At the Just So Festival parents can choose to hand over a similar level of responsibility to their children, to structure and define their own experience of the event. There is no one correct way to be or act at the festival, as there is such a variety of activities and workshops to attend, and experiences to be had. As mentioned briefly above, parenting emerged as a recurrent theme in both of the focus groups. They were very self-aware about the amount of parenting that they do, and feel they have to do at different kinds of events and in different settings. Indoors where there are more tacit social pressures they do much more active parenting, as opposed to outdoor environments where theyre much happier to do less. They were frustrated by the role that a parent often takes in managing a childs experiences of the arts.
Whod want to be an adult? We had festival anxiety [at Just So] about not being able to do everything.

They were relatively self-critical regarding this, citing the difficult balance between looking after their children and giving them space to explore in natural environments. Clearly the age of the children makes a huge difference, with parents of older children being much more inclined to let them go off alone. For parents of younger children they demanded much more of the environment, of the organization around an event or public space.
I think those practical things make everything a bit easier, they mean that you can just throw yourself into it and enjoy it. You need to have the infrastructure there to be quite seamless, for everyone to get quite relaxed.

These parents want to be given the opportunity to relax, and to not feel like parents. Co-Creation A final theme that emerged, mainly from discussions around the Just So Festival in particular, was that of co-creation, and the increased level of engagement that

36

children have with activities where they are encouraged to participate. This links strongly with the ideas of freedom and responsibility that are key elements of engagement in arts activities. Many of the structured and unstructured activities at the festival are designed so that the children alter the environment around them. This might be by doing some messy free-drawing on a giant easel in a communal space; creating something out of recycled materials and hanging it in a tree; sculpting a face out of clay and embedding it into a tree trunk; or building a lantern for use in the nighttime lantern parade. Handing over responsibility to the children to augment the physical environment around them, and giving them the freedom to do so in whatever way they chose, is hugely empowering. The challenge with co-creation is to effectively structure an experience so that children can bring their creativity to bear, and that whatever emerges is broadly successful as a piece of collective art.

37

Discussion
Through the Spellbound Forest and the Just So Festival, Wild Rumpus produce and manage successful outdoor environments in which families actively take part in creative activities together. These events display the aspects and properties the affordances which, according to our research, influence the likelihood of positive benefits and experiences for children and their families. These include: A focus on providing suitable environments for free play, which encompasses the important functions of unpredictability and flexibility The management of natural environments to highlight and promote their particular affordances for certain activities, e.g. the use of small twigs in a variety of experiences, such as grasping, throwing, drawing, digging The promotion of access to green and natural spaces which correlates with higher levels of physical activity, health, and quality of life, and other positive benefits such as enhanced self esteem The management and understanding of perceptions of risk and the mechanisms to address and propose changing the culture of fear. For example, providing safe spaces for risky and extraordinary behavior, new experiences in arts participation, and changes in experience of time and routine Providing environments which emphasise the positive relationship between participation in arts and cultural programming, family strength, and wellbeing. These relationships are enforced concurrently through shared memory making. There are significant opportunities for active collaborative participation which highlight the importance of shared memory at both events like the chance to draw and display your family portraits at Just So, and the memory tree and photo opportunities at the Spellbound Forest. Research on the relationship between aesthetic encounter and experiencesof natural landscapes suggests the affordances of the environment are objectively and psychologically significant, and dependent on interaction and engagement: aesthetic and other responses to nature are dynamically perceived in the context of action. In other words they rely on collaborative participation and co-creation. Different benefits are related to different types of engagement in natural landscapes namely, viewing, being in and active participation. Successful arts programming in natural landscapes provides ways of facilitating these different types of engagement, to maximize the benefits of the environment and the structured opportunities for taking risks, experimenting, feeling free, getting your hands dirty, losing your sense of time, becoming or watching others become fairy tale characters and co-producing shared memories and spaces.

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The Research Team

Taken at the Fantastical Photobooth in Nowhere Now.

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Jim Ralley Director, The Big Art People jim@thebigartpeople.co.uk +447928 119686 Skype: jimralley @jimrali