Spark your imagination with new YSP summer programme - Curiosity & Wonder

Helen Pheby, associate director (Programme) at YSP writes: YSP welcomes hundreds of thousands of people every year, from sculpture babies to their grandparents.

Having now worked here for over 20 years I know that every day is different, but the summer holidays are always extra special.

I think my life was changed forever by my art teacher telling me to never lose a sense of wonder. And for me YSP is a magical place that nurtures just that.

We have just launched our summer programme: Curiosity & Wonder, which will delight, inspire and entertain everyone and ties in with the themes of our indoor exhibitions.

Putting together a six-week programme of events and activities in collaboration with artists and musicians is fun, and a huge task and team effort.

The summer is packed with activities and pop-up projects designed to spark creativity, curiosity and shared moments of wonder and delight.

Focusing on exploring materials, the lifelong importance of play and creating new experiences, Curiosity & Wonder encourages imaginative ways of engaging with the world around us.

It includes live painting sessions with artist Natasha Joseph and Abigail Burt’s project Lost-Wax for Lost-Species, where you can make your own version of endangered or vulnerable animals in wax.

There really is something for everyone to enjoy together – even an outdoor family rave!

The programme runs throughout the summer, with a closing day of events on Saturday, 2 September.

For those who want to go on a sculpture safari, there are around 80 sculptures to find in 500 acres and you’ll need to adventure through woodland and open fields, even around lakes, to spot them all. Sturdy shoes and a bottle of water required!

I am especially excited that A Retrospective View of the Pathway, by artist Roger Hiorns, will transform the landscape twice a day with big clouds of foam.

Making the most of both the sights and sounds at YSP, we have the Sound Wave Collider, a multi-sensory, immersive installation devised by Halifax-based arts organisation IOU and David Wheeler, with a site-specific soundscape by Jason Singh.

This deep-listening experience is created from a huge range of resonating sounds involving sculptures, living organisms, plants, and even electronically processed birdsongs – all captured from the surrounding landscape.

On National Play Day on August 2 there will be events including Outdoor Sculpture Building: Come Rain Come Shine, where visitors can build their own super-sized sculptures inspired by artists at YSP.

There will be interactive poetry readings for families, mindful listening walks, guerilla calligraphy and Cat Scott’s “Inner Horizons” that explores what it might sound and feel like to be within a bubble.

We can’t wait to share Curiosity & Wonder with you, come rain or shine, and are using as much of our landscape and as many locations across the Park as possible – both indoor and out.

We encourage everyone to explore and experiment with imaginative ways of connecting with the world around us.

There is really something for everyone, whether you enjoy participating, playing, listening, learning or simply relaxing and watching the world go by.

Please share your experiences with us and others online or by telling your friends and family what you’ve been up to!

We’ve even got our own Curiosity & Wonder gifs in Instagram – search YSP and add them to your posts.

All Curiosity & Wonder daytime activities and events are free and included with a YSP entry ticket (with the exception of the evening dining experiences at The Weston. Bookable in advance.) 25s and under have free entry.

To book tickets and find out about the full programme with dates visit: https://ysp.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/curiosity-and-wonder