BIG featured in Russian

Our far away friends Margarita and Ilya, from the design studio Zilasaule, interviewed 

us for a Russian illustration and design magazine called Pointer. Incredibly exciting to see  

BIG stories flying literally all over the world! 

 'By publishing the work of kids and artists side by side we are seeking to disrupt the context and heirachy of art to allow for a different and surprising viewing of both works. We have found that both kids and artists love this way of being presented.' Lilly and Jo

'There was an urgency in wanting to create an awesome magazine for kids that wasn’t attached to a commercial product or place and this inspired risk-taking.  We were also buoyed by the intensity and rigour of our collaboration which made the midnight hours worth it.' Lilly and Jo

BOOYAH! BIG meets MIMA

"Kids Inspire us. They are curious, impulsive, in awe of the world around them, whimsical and funny. We are awed by their ceaseless originality, courage and exuberance. The creative spirit inspires us. We are compelled by the impulse to imagine, the ability to conceive and actualize, and the discoveries that occur within the process of creating." Mini & Maximus

The Falling Icebergs owl from Issue 1 of BIG Kids Magazine has taken flight with the wonderful

MINI & MAXIMUS.  We are thrilled that Sophie and Megan stumbled across and LOVED our image enough to include it in their BOOYAH COLLECTION of very cool sweatshirts, t-shirts and a super cute onesie...(we have already got a couple of new mother-artists in mind for a BIG pressie!)

For a moment we wondered if this was the right direction for our BIG work as we have strong feelings about some contemporary fashion options for children that take them so far beyond their years, or strongly stereotype them by gender. We LOVE Mini & Maximus and as you can see they are far more than a fashion line -  drawing inspiration from children and artists, and creating an incredibly cool eco friendly product that is made for real life PLAY.

Watch out for a BIG Mini & Maximus giveaway COMING SOON!

Image by Lilly Blue
"He uses his words to protect
himself from falling icebergs" By Luca, age 9

From Issue 3 of BIG Kids Magazine
Game On! 

"We believe we are all in this together, that this world belongs to all of us, and that our choices should reflect our concerns for the future. We believe we all need to nurture and care for the world we share. We like the forefront. We like trailblazing and pushing ahead. We like shaking things up, thinking outside the box and re-considering the status quo. We like keeping things fresh, vibrant, playful and unexpected. We want to inspire the little rebels that have inspired us; the ones that smudge food all over their face, draw all over our walls, and always help us see the world around us in new way." Mini & Maximus

Curious map-making and a stunning artist redefining pathways

Chuckery by Alexandra Harrison
"He will wish you good day and then ask "Do you want a reply slip"? Which of course, you do, and it will say "Don't drive cars ride bikes,"  and after that your feet will have wings.

The landscape of magazine-making trips up conventions of time. All at once we are still following trails of edition two: Treasure Maps, proofing pages for edition three: Game On! and finding our way so fast Into The Dark with edition FOUR (and we will not mention the seedling sprouting for edition FIVE...no we won't!)

Suffice to say it has been a BIG few weeks.  Circumnavigating the time difference planning from Perth to Sydney, we enjoyed a quick collision in Melbourne to watch the performance work of Treasure Maps artist Alexandra Harrison in her futures festival of "What's Coming". Her divine portrait maps, as featured in our current edition were part of the set design and the actual magazine even made a cameo appearance in her performance lecture! BIG is now available for sale at Dancehouse. 

BIG idea: Turn an old map into the most curious face you can imagine. Cut along old roads, rivers and train lines to create a new portrait and then give it a name.

A new BIG word from Alex:  Hodology

 "I fell in love with it when I heard it. Hodology is the study of pathways"

Maps choreograph. 

What does a future map look like?

Can you dance before you know where you are?

Can you know where you are and still dance?

Excerpt from the performance lecture There is No Line by Alexandra Harrison and David Turnbull

All photographs by Emma Fishwick

Alex Harrison in "What's Coming" 

What are the top three skills you need in this (theatre)industry?

I think curiosity, rigor and endurance

What advice would you give anyone looking to break into your field?

It’s a field – you don’t need to break in – you just need to wander over

When do you know you’ve made it?

 There is no it. There is no arrival or there are constant arrivals – and departures. And if there is an it, it’s not about never being satisfied and it’s not about constantly measuring success – it’s about cultivating, following and sharing your interest. It’s about being interested. And continuing. (Profile of Alexandra Harrison, Arts Hub, 7/12)

BIG Kids interview in Small Magazine

The incredible editors of Small Magazine, Olivia and Christine work long distance like we do and we were thrilled when they asked us some BIG questions.  We know not all of you are on Facebook, where we have linked to the latest stunning edition, so we have included our BIG interview that features in the magazine here. Start with our Small Hands interview and then take a moment to sit with the rest of the beautiful imagery and ideas on each of the other pages. Quite a journey.

BIG on MAEVE and Made by Joel

The main thing separating kids from their grown-ups is a sea of years.  Side by side collaboration between adults and their children can become the meeting point for unprecedented creative voyage. Art becomes open-ended like the sea, and like the sea, you can never predict what will happen; just watch the wind, raise the anchor and sail away. (Jo and Lilly on Made by Joel)

With our ship up and sailing we have enjoyed some wonderful day-trips, firstly as guests on Made by Joel and then in the very lovely pages of MAEVE magazine. We are currently editing the designed pages of BIG and prepped for a huge week that will hopefully end with us handing over the BIG pages to our printer! If you are signed up to receive our newsletter - a sneaky page peek is heading your way.

Meanwhile we are in transition here now that our mothership site has take over the original url of this little blog boat! If there are any blog experts out there please advise if our followers will be able to come with us or if we have to do something more than re-direct our address which is now at blog.bigkidsmagazine.com

While we are excitedly getting our pages in order, have a flick through the amazing MAEVE  and subscribe to BIG Kids Magazine before September 12th to go in the draw to win the original artwork by Madeleine Stamer shown alongside our BIG feature:

We loved working with Joel as featured guests on his wonderful blog, Made by Joel.  Our guest post describes the side by side potential in creating with a child rather than creating for a child. Joel generously helped realise our BIG boats with his gorgeous template design which will feature in our magazine (and you can download it here now!)

Twyla and the BIG Ocean collaborative project as featured on Made by Joel

Joel with his completed templates of our BIG boats drawn by Lilly