NEW ANNUAL / Cavitation: Hands-On Workshops

Build A Map The Tide Can Change

Hands-On Making Sessions

Saturdays 26 September & 3 October, 10.30 - 12.30pm

What happens when water redraws the world? 

Inspired by Izabela Pluta’s Cavitation: Breathing Ocean and the lost concrete map once embedded in Newcastle Canoe Pool, children and their grown-ups are invited to build a temporary world from sand, water and simple natural and reusable materials. 

Working with an artist educator, families will create coastlines, islands, pathways and imagined territories, then introduce water and movement to see what shifts, disappears or becomes newly connected. 

Participants can photograph their maps before and after their transformation, contributing to a collective Atlas of Change created across the two workshop days. 

Through playful experimentation, children will explore a central idea within Cavitation: that maps and coastlines are never completely fixed. They are continually shaped by water, weather, movement and the stories people attach to place. 

No art-making experience is needed. Come prepared to work with sand and water, and to let your carefully constructed world change. 

Suitable for children and people of all ages, children with an accompanying or participating adult. All children must remain under the supervision of their accompanying adult. 

Canoe Pool

Located at the eastern end of Newcastle Beach, Canoe Pool is perfect for families with little ones. This shallow wading pool provides a safe and enjoyable space for splashing, swimming and building sandcastles. The pool's water levels vary depending on the sand, creating a unique experience each time.

To make the most of your visit, bring your own sun shelter, as the pool area can get busy during summer, resembling a village of sun tents. There are shaded picnic tables and accessible toilets nearby at Newcastle Ocean Baths.

Accessibility

The Canoe Pool offers wheelchair access at the main entrance, accessible toilets, and designated accessible street parking.

Limited public seating is available.