Visitors to this year’s SPARK Ipswich festival are being invited to experience art in entirely new ways, with two interactive exhibitions set to transform Tulmur Place into a hub of creativity, reflection and community connection.
Local artists Kate from Inspired Art Studio and Caragh from Triangle House joined the Get Your Arts Into Gear podcast to preview their installations, both of which will run throughout the five-day festival from 8 to 12 July.
Chalk, cheese and creativity
Inspired Art Studio will present Chalk and Play, a free daytime activity for all ages, alongside an adults-only evening event called Chalk and Cheese.
Kate said the installations would encourage people to create together while celebrating Ipswich’s natural environment.
“We’re constructing giant chalkboards in Tulmur Place where people can work together on a collaborative artwork inspired by Ipswich’s botanical flowers and plants,” she said.
Families can drop in during daytime sessions to contribute to the evolving artwork, while evening visitors can enjoy the more relaxed Chalk and Cheese sessions, combining creativity with wine and cheese.
“It’s all about getting people together, having fun with friends and being creative.”
The evening events require bookings through the SPARK Festival website, while the daytime sessions are open to everyone.
Kate said the festival also coincides with a busy period for her newly rebranded Inspired Art Studio, formerly known as By Emily Kate Studio.
The studio now offers a packed schedule of children’s, teenagers’ and adult art classes, as well as one-on-one tuition.
“I think we’re one of the few places still offering dedicated kids’ art classes, which is why we’re so busy,” she said.
“I love that I get to be creative with people every day.”
Seeing life through a different lens
Also appearing throughout SPARK is Kaleidoscope: Community Reflections, an immersive exhibition by Triangle House that combines interactive art, poetry and personal reflection.
By day, the exhibition offers children and families an opportunity to explore colour, creativity and discovery through giant kaleidoscopes and hands-on activities.
By night, the installation transforms into a reflective experience featuring original poetry written by Caragh, encouraging visitors to explore their own life stories from a different perspective.
“We’re inviting people to look at their life through a different lens,” Caragh said.
“My hope is that it’s healing for people and that it meets them wherever they’re at.”
The exhibition grew from Kara’s own personal experiences after navigating significant life challenges.
Originally writing poetry as a private healing process, she realised her work resonated with others and decided to share it publicly for the first time.
“I’d only ever written poetry for myself,” she said.
“As I started sharing it with people, I realised there were common themes that so many people could relate to.”
The exhibition explores themes including grief, perfectionism, acceptance, personal identity and rebuilding life after major change.
“It’s about those moments where life doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would, and finding a new way forward.”
A family connection
Adding another artistic dimension to the project is Caragh’s sister, local musician Wide Eyed Wonder (Dee), who will perform nearby during one of the evening sessions.
The sisters previously wrote music together as teenagers, and Caragh said future collaborations were certainly possible.
“There could definitely be something there,” she laughed.
A bigger SPARK Festival
Both artists said this year’s SPARK program offers more opportunities than ever for residents to actively participate rather than simply observe.
With markets, workshops, literature events, live performances and interactive installations filling Tulmur Place and surrounding venues, organisers hope visitors will spend more time exploring the city’s creative community.
Chalk and Play, Chalk and Cheese, and Kaleidoscope: Community Reflections will all run throughout the SPARK Ipswich Festival from 8 to 12 July in the Creative Hub at Tulmur Place, offering activities for children, families and adults both during the day and into the evening.
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