The Gardens by The Kids
A world of sound, friendship and imagination
The Gardens by The Kids is a co-led creative arts project bringing together children from Granville in western Sydney and Erskineville in inner Sydney. Over six weeks, the children met on each other’s school grounds, built friendships, shared stories, and collaborated across sound, making, and imagination. Centering children as artists, curators, and cultural authors, the project celebrates place, connection, and what becomes possible when kids lead the way.
For both sites, we imagined a space that feels welcoming, calming, and fun for everyone—especially families. There should be areas where parents can sit down, rest, and connect with one another.
A path should guide people gently through the gardens, so no one gets stuck in one place. We believe every part of the event should flow, with different experiences placed where they feel like they naturally belong.
We want people to feel like they are part of something special—something that only happens once in a lifetime.
Through our curation, we hope visitors interact with the artworks, listen to the stories, and discover something new. We want them to experience the projects we made especially for them.
Every activity, every sound, and every space has been chosen to make you feel something—to feel welcome, to feel curious, and to feel connected.
- The Curators - Phoebe (11), Shelley (11), Amira (12) and Zac (11)
How’d We Make It?
In 2023, artist and creative producer Claudia Chidiac and sound artist Nick Wishart invited a group of local children from Erskineville to create an experimental soundscape. The work played in a public park, offering passersby a moment to listen, and simply be. It was small in scale — but powerful in feeling. And it sparked a question:
What if more children could create something for the public to enjoy — something thoughtful and made with joy?That question became The Gardens by The Kids — a multi-site public artwork shaped by the imaginations of children from Erskineville and Granville, two communities connected through years of creative collaboration.Before any artworks were made, Claudia brought the children together — not for a workshop, but to meet, eat, play, and host each other. They designed the day themselves, welcoming each other into their neighbourhoods, schools, and stories. This hosting session became the first seed of the project: a gesture of friendship, a way of saying “you’re welcome here.”From that seed grew a project with four creative strands — each led by professional artists and co-created with children. These strands unfolded into a rich garden of public experiences: immersive, thoughtful, playful, and full of heart.The Four Creative Strands
Visual Art with Nicole Barakat
These artworks are collaborations created through a process of listening and looking closely to place. The children engaged with Bangor Park, Granville on Dharug Country and Ellen Lawman Rest Area, Erskineville, on the lands of the Gadigal, through the details of the natural and built environments, plants, sounds as well as their own feelings and responses.
The children were invited to record their experience of each place by looking and listening closely. Drawing intricate rendered images of the plants that resonated with them, they translated these into appliqué and embroidered drawn artworks.
Rubbings were taken from the plants and built environments in Bangor Park and Ellen Lawman Rest Area. The children learnt about the differences between the weeds (plants that are in the wrong place) and native plants that belong there, and the importance and impact both have on the environment.
The large cyanotype print was created in Bangor Park with weeds pulled up out of the ground and native eucalyptus leaves and branches found on the ground.
The children also created abstract drawings recording the sounds of place as well as reflective writing in response to each site.
The Kids: Alisha, Eva, Lily, Zoe, Aminah, Hugo, Christopher, Amena C, Paloma, Lola, Emma.
Podcasting with Lem Zakharia
Led by podcast producer Lem Zakharia, four unique podcasts were created — each one offering a powerful glimpse into the minds of young creators. From two thrilling murder mystery adventures, to an honest, funny and raw conversation between two girls unpacking friendship, exclusion and bullying, and a wildly energetic quiz-meets-sports-science episode — this is a celebration of voice, collaboration, and sonic imagination.
The Kids: Bassam, Cameron, Maya, Carol, Fristha, Amena H, Mia, Freja
Listen to each episode on our Podcasts page!:
Sound & Video Art with San May
Sound and video artist San May guided children in recording, editing, and layering field recordings, musical instruments, and voice. The result:
The Prodigy - An electronic dance track with music video
This song is a fusion of year 6 students’ favourite sounds from online culture mixed with the urban landscapes of Sydney. The audio is filled with beats from their favourite viral songs, audio recordings of silly moments between friends, and sampled sounds from Gadigal and Darug lands.
Accompanying the song is a music video that was shot entirely by the students. They were given a prompt of filming everything they like to do in parks. The response was playing sports, dancing, playing games, and rolling down grass hills.
The Kids: Johnathan, Gabriel, Abdulrahman, Mohamad, Abdullah, Russell.
Interactive Orchestra
Audiences were invited to use sounds created by The Gardens team to create their own experimental soundscape using touch.
Curating with Claudia Chidiac & Paschal Berry
In this strand, children stepped into the role of curators, working closely with writer and curator Paschal Berry and Claudia Chidiac. Together, they explored what a curator does — how ideas are shaped into public experience. Using the guiding themes of friendship, welcome, nature, and the stories we want to tell, they co-created a program of activities designed by the kids, for the public, placing their artworks and sound pieces thoughtfully throughout each garden.
The Kids: Shelley, Phoebe, Amira, Zak
