[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-monsterville-grand-opening":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"\u003Ca href=\"http://www.discover.org.uk/whatson/event/welcome_to_monsterville/\">MONSTERVILLE\u003C/a>... It's so totally fabulous, I don't even know where to start! Today was the Grand Opening Day at \u003Ca href=\"http://www.discover.org.uk/whatson/event/welcome_to_monsterville/\">Stratford's \u003Cb>Discover Centre\u003C/b>\u003C/a> in northeast London, and the construction team had been working late into the night yesterday so it would be ready when \u003Ca href=\"http://www.neallayton.com\">Neal Layton\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.edvere.com\">Ed Vere\u003C/a> and I arrived to see our drawings turned 3-D, and the monster mob descended. And it was AMAZING. I spent the first twenty minutes running around babbling wildly with excitement. Here I am, crawling around in Ed's monster mouth.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_mouth5-58210a107b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's the spooky forest pathway that leads the voyagers to the monster village. It starts off in a wardrobe with clawed and shredded suits, with some crazy sounds orchestrated by \u003Cb>Sam Usher\u003C/b>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_entry-9ec3a987cb.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMonsterville has a tiny monster cinema! Neal couldn't arrive until later because he was coming from Portsmouth, but Ed and I got there early and went a big mad running around.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_cinema1-9554bb002d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for LOADS more photos under the cut!-->\\r\nHere's Ed, having a peek through the doors.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_cinema2-708bf7a7d1.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOoooo! It's real! There are MONSTERS in the watching monster films!!!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_cinema3-65fdc00409.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe lighting effects are wicked; I love the way these ones make my \u003Ci>Beauty & Beast\u003C/i> window display cast monstrous shadows.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_shadows-047c9b0c06.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere are some of my little friends fishing in Neal's pond.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_fish1-221ae128b5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLet's go into the \u003Ci>Beauty & Beast\u003C/i> boutique!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_beauty3-da661fd14f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's the Discover Centre's \u003Cb>Eleanor Butler\u003C/b>, modelling one of my wigs.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_beauty2-1f801afc6d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI had a blast seeing people trying them on.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_wigs8-9124b70e3d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_wigs3-051b614b26.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_wigs2-fe2bbaa343.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_wigs4-ddb2d6b546.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_wigs7-7bde879bcf.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_wigs5-f23fb8275d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_wigs9-87de3d7495.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's my Lolliplops ice cream parlour, leading on to Neal's Monster Gallery.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_cafe1-c625e41e6a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEarlier I'd made a sketch of an eyeball cash register, and they'd made it happen!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_register-57c1692fb0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe head technician, Paul Callaghan, asked us to sign our buildings. I've never signed a building before! (Or if I have, I won't admit it.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_sign1-540baebace.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nYou can just see my monster cake through the window.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_cafe2-c72efa9cb8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEleanor posing in Neal's bandstand: it has buttons on the supporting columns which play different instruments.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_bandstand1-8a1c51f4a2.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nNow let's go down the street to the Monster Gallery...\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_gallery1-31c84671e5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nCheck out Neal's cool \u003Ci>trompe d'oeil\u003C/i> effect with the flooring! The big books if for sticking in everyone's monster drawings. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_gallery2-d6307cebb9.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEd and I christened the book with its first drawings. Here's Ed's:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_ed_draw1-7ea9813a10.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_gallery3-b1d6b592a1.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd my drawing:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_sarah_draw1-c2de548327.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe gallery has a magnetic board, like a giant fridge, where you can stick monster body parts together. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_gallery_parts1-76eb49797c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Discover's director, \u003Cb>Sally Goldsworthy\u003C/b>, modelling with monster parts.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_sally_parts-1-8cd159d653.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe entrance lobby has a map of Monsterville.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_map-2c60c9df8d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nA monster newsstand! One of Discover's workers also freelances for \u003Ci>The Guardian\u003C/i> and wrote up the newspaper copy. It's going to get lots of use with school groups coming in to try their own hand at monster journalism.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_newsstand1-2448004315.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_paper-4fc2170019.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe entrance wardrobe:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_wardrobe-acc95dfc50.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEd's cool monsters on the entrance staircase:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_ed_stairs2-f33980b8d8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_ed_stairs1-fe5294204f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEd was super chuffed to see his monster drawing blown up so large on the centre's front window.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_ed_entrance-26729e65d7.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEd, Neal and I all led our own events, but my favourite was the MONSTER DRAW-OFF. The kids gave us categories of monsters to draw, and the three of us had three minutes to come up with a monster in that category. Then the kids voted for the best monster. Here's my entry for 'angry monster'. (I won that round.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_drawoff3-b22b1bd79d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Ed's drawing for 'musical monster'. (Ed won that round, hands-down. Or pants-down, I should say.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_drawoff4-d29e777d83.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_drawoff7-71fef4f447.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>Photo by Apryl Hammett\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nYou can see a few more here: 'sad monster', 'evil monster' and 'cuddly monster'. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_drawoff2-b40887ac14.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThis is Ed's drawing for 'monster wedding'. Tongues!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_drawoff6-29062fca6a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nYou might notice little comments around the edges; there were dodgy bits of sabotage and attempts to influence the crowd going on there.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_drawoff1-54307451da.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_drawoff5-9b852f9e58.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere we are! Neal, me and Ed. \u003Cb>BEST MONSTER DRAW-OFF TEAM EVER.\u003C/b> We totally want to do that again, we had so much fun. \u003Ci>Festivals, take note: the three of us might be persuadable!\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_nealsarahed-e5620f8299.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThis is my Monsterville hero, \u003Cb>Paul Callaghan\u003C/b>, technician extraordinaire. A HUGE thanks to the whole team who made this happen. I think this is the most fun job I've ever had.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_paul_callaghan-72ffcb2e1a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nNeal showed us lots of his monster drawings during his event, although he claimed never actually to have seen a monster. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_neal_talk1-e9734a2e4b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEd made no such claim. He says he was followed home by this monster, and was very scared, but very inspired for our project.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_ed_talk1-1b02801973.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's a visualiser projecting Ed drawing with his old-fashioned surveyor's dip pen and ink.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_ed_talk3-ee9f6d9c5e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_ed_talk4-340a60178e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nKids drew loads of monsters today.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_ed_talk6-75c48703a8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI thought this kid's monster was rather smashing.\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_ed_talk5-ead3018bbd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's giddy me with my fab friend Caroline Smith, who brought her kids along. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterville_caroline-b54b275ec5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThanks so much to all my friends and colleagues who came to see Monsterville today! It's going to be \u003Cb>open until March next year\u003C/b>, and you can have a look \u003Ca href=\"http://www.sunshinesmilepublications.co.uk/events/welcome-to-monsterville\">here at the summer schedule of events\u003C/a>. If you're in London, don't miss it! There's another whole floor upstairs with other fun stuff where kids can run around and explore, also well worth the visit.\\r\n\\r\nYou can see past posts about building Monsterville (sketches, photos) if you \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/tag/discover\">click here and scroll way down\u003C/a>.","2011-05-29T11:24:00.000Z","monsterville-grand-opening",[],"monsterville grand opening!!!",1776628720256]