Super Sensing Workshop
Experience the hidden world of nature through
FREE hands-on activities for the whole family!
Hosted by Filament & NooN Art Collective, as part of the UNESCO Geoparks Festival
Supported by the British Arts Council
🗓️ Thursday 29 May
⏰ 10:00am – 12:00pm
đź“Ť The start of the Nature Trail (picnic area by lemur woods)
🎫 No booking required, all activities are included in standard zoo admission
Roll up your sleeves for an exciting morning of making, creating, and discovering
Become a scientist and experiment with sound, texture, and visual explorations that reveal the hidden natural world all around us.
Become a sound engineer and create your own electrical sensors and connect them to amplifiers to hear the secret sounds plants make that human ears can’t normally detect.
Become a sculpture artist and examine fascinating patterns in nature under magnifiers and create your own clay sculptures to take home as free souvenirs.
Perfect for curious minds of all ages! Children will love the hands-on experiments while parents can enjoy watching their little ones engage with nature in completely new ways. This workshop is specially designed to be SEN friendly, with adaptable creative activities that accommodate different sensory needs and learning styles. The multi-sensory approach allows children of all abilities to engage with nature in meaningful ways at their own pace.
There is no need to pre-book, simply turn up and get stuck in!
Following the morning workshop, NooN Art Collective and Filament will host an ‘In Conversation’ seminar in the Ark Lecture Theatre. This adult-focused discussion will feature a panel of experts exploring topics in ecology, science, technology, and art. If you’re interested in attending this afternoon session, please contact [email protected]
This workshop is part of the groundbreaking ‘About Fungi and Being in the Dark’ project – a British Council funded collaboration connecting UK and Thai artists and partners across two UNESCO Global Geoparks with globally significant cave systems: the English Riviera and Satun, Thailand. The location of the workshop, at the start of Paignton Zoo’s Nature Trail, is located very near to significant karst cave formations recognised as part of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark. These geological features form part of the same network as Torquay’s prehistoric Kents Cavern.
The project was inspired by research on newly discovered fungi in Satun’s karst caves and explores the broader themes of cave ecologies, underground connections between species, myths, darkness, and connection amid uncertainty. This international collaboration will culminate in August 2025 with an immersive art installation at Paignton Zoo, revealing the invisible fungal networks (mycelium) that connect woodland ecosystems – often called nature’s internet.
More details coming very soon, so watch this space