TOOL 14 | BEFORE AND AFTER

Showing children a space before and after an intervention enables them to discuss its impact and to highlight what they like and dislike. For example, children are shown pictures of schools/streets/other environments with and without artistic touches and are asked to compare them. What do they notice? What feelings does each space evoke? Which environment would they prefer to be in, and how would it affect their wellbeing? The discussion includes the importance of art, with an emphasis on the capability of anyone to produce art. From the discussion, children learn and gain the confidence to design their own spaces. A shown in the pictures above, CatalyticAction used ‘Before and after’ photos to discuss with children how art interventions, such as murals added to a building, can change the perceptions and feeling of a street.