The Interactive Museum of Languages for Young Audiences
We are thrilled to introduce to you our latest beautiful project: the Interactive Museum of Languages for Young Audiences!
The IMLYA is a touring interactive exhibition for primary school children. It is a space for the creation of stories and play with language-based sculptures based on artifacts, signs, pictographs, and alphabets.
As part of Cruinniú na nÓg, IMLYA will be in place at the North Clondalkin Lubaray all day Saturday 12th June from 10 am – 4pm. Members of the creative team will be on hand all day to facilitate all drop-in activities and answer any questions! Can’t make it Saturday? Don’t worry the IMLYA will remain in the library for the following week.
The museum consists of a range of sculptures all of which are interactive pieces that encourage children to play with elements of language. IMLYA will include:
- A storytelling well/tree that will allow children to scan other artifacts from surrounding sculptural pieces to reveal stories from cultures and their languages, shown via video.
- A tunnel in which children can walk through languages and alphabets
- A space to play clay plates and the ancient languages of Persia
- A sculpture where children can play with the basics of the knotted language of Inkas
- Experience of calligraphy – the origin of Chinese writing
- Wooden puzzles which will allow children to learn about words describing colours in Irish
Through engaging with the artwork and the experience, we hope children will develop an understanding of other languages, cultures and unlock their creativity. In order to achieve this, it is very important to us that children get to engage with the sculptures on their own terms. IMLYA is designed to tour different primary schools, providing an immersive creative experience around language for primary school children in spaces with which they are already familiar. Children can experience the exhibition on their own school grounds (indoors or outdoors), on their own terms.
We’re working with a number of school in the South Dublin County Council area to host the IMLYA. Prior to its visit to North Clondalkin Library, IMLYA will have visited a number of schools in South Dublin County Council.
Teachers are supported in engaging their students with these sculptures through a range of educational activities and resources. The exhibition enables teachers to help young people learn and apply creative skills and build linguistic skills in different ways. As these resources develop we will add them to the Mother Tongues website.
If you’re interested in IMLYA visiting your school get in touch with us.
The museum was commissioned by the South Dublin Creative Ireland programme as part of Cruinniú na nÓg 2021, and it was co-funded by Languages Connect.
Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, CEO and Ciara Ní Bhroin, Development Officer from the organisation Gaeloideachas – the national support organisation for Irish-medium pre-schools, primary and post-primary schools will speak to parents about the benefits of choosing an Irish-medium education, the role parents can play in their child’s education through Irish, as well as the many supports and resources available to parents and children. Irish-medium education offers a wonderful experience for all children of all abilities and all backgrounds and we welcome the opportunity to encourage parents to be part of this model of education in Ireland.
You must be logged in to post a comment.