Art and Science Join Together For Fun Palace Campaign

Local artist Anne Clarke, best known for her Woolly Woods installation earlier in the year, is planning to organise Belper’s first Fun Palace. It will take place at Number 28 situated on the Market Place Belper.

The event will take place on Saturday October 1st from 12 noon until 4.00pm.

What are Fun Palaces?

The original idea for Fun Palaces dates back to 1961 when Joan Littlewood and Cedric Price came up with the idea and designed the Fun Palace which they called a ‘Laboratory of Fun’. Joan said that she believed in the genius in every person and also in the idea of community.

The original design said: “Choose what you want to do – or watch someone else doing it. Learn how to handle tools, paint, babies, machinery, or just listen to your favourite tune. Dance, talk or be lifted up to where you can see how other people make things work. Sit out over space with a drink and tune in to what’s happening elsewhere in the city. Try starting a riot or beginning a painting – or just lie back and stare at the sky.”

The Fun Palace became an annual event from 2014 when Stella Duffy and Sarah-Jane Rawlings organised the first Fun Palaces throughout the country. The first ones took place on the hundredth anniversary of Joan’s birth. The idea quickly grew to become an event taking place worldwide on the first weekend in October. This year that is October 1st and 2nd.

The idea is that the event is organised by local people for the fun and enjoyment of the community. Here is a short video from 2014 explaining a little more about the idea behind Fun Palaces.

How can you get involved?

Even though the event is not until October you can get involved now. Anne wants feedback on how to make the event fun. She said: “Planning is already going ahead for Belper’s first Fun Palace which is to be a fun community event for all age groups. I will be writing soon about the activities, however if anyone reading this post has an idea that could be included please follow this link.”

She has made a comic strip from a link on the Fun Palace website.

There is also a Write, Science competition which needs to be completed by the end of this month.