Wildlife quest at family-friendly optical illusions show at Greenham
This invitation sounds good fun for the curious…
‘Immerse yourself in a world of optical illusion at The Base Greenham as OTTOPIA takes over the Gallery’.
Optical Illusions can use colour, light and patterns to create images that can be deceptive or misleading to our brains. The visual arts centre on Greenham Business Park, hosts this spectacular monochrome installation for the summer holiday. It has been created by Bristol-based OTTER Produces.
This playful black and white adventure opens today (Tuesday) and runs to Thursday, August 29.
Packed with black and white stripes, side-quests and interactive games, this family-friendly activity blurs the lines between reality and imagination.
The Gallery space will be transformed so that visitors will wander through an incredible garden filled with black and white giant flowers, trees, mushrooms and cacti, learning interesting facts about otters and other British wildlife as they complete ‘Champion spOTTER Quest’ which will take them on a tour of The Base building, hunting down black-and-white striped creatures that have escaped from OTTOPIA.
OTTER Produces was formed in 2013 with the aim of exploring the realm of interactive, immersive art. The company has pioneered combining this with storytelling, puzzles and play and have featured at events including Boomtown, Bestival, Brighton Fringe and The Secret Garden Party.
The Base gallery manager Steph Johnson said: I remember being transfixed by optical illusion books as a child and of course now as adults we can appreciate how famous artists such as Bridget Riley, Salvador Dalí and Marcel Duchamp played with Op Art to great effect – I can’t wait to see our Gallery transformed and how visitors will interact with the whimsical world of OTTOPIA!
On Thursday, August 22 there will be a ‘Relaxed Day’ in OTTOPIA where adjustments have been made in order for, but not limited to, neurodivergent visitors (including autism, ADHD, Tourette’s, OCD and other sensory processing difficulties) to feel comfortable in the space.
As well as reducing visitor numbers within the Gallery for each hourly session and providing a dedicated ‘Quiet Space’, the venue will send a ‘visual story’ in advance of your visit and has ear defenders and sensory bags that visitors can borrow during their time in the space.
For those looking to explore a little further afield, there are free handout maps and scavenger hunts available from The Base team so visitors can head over to Greenham Common to spot real world wildlife and enjoy the fresh air.
OTTOPIA is open daily from Tuesday 6 to Thursday, August 29 from 10am to 5pm and tickets are £7 (under-5s free).
