Bird Brain

Bird Brain was first presented in collaboration with Imaginary Theatre and the Brisbane Powerhouse for Powerkids: Little Artists at Play

A giant, interactive puppetry installation for 0-5 year olds and their families.

Powerkids: Little Artists at Play is a collaboration between Brisbane Powerhouse and Imaginary Theatre. Imaginary Theatre is a Brisbane based company creating outstanding art and arts experiences for children aged 0–12 and their communities. They engage children and families in contemporary multi-art form experiences that sit on the intersection of childhood, creativity and community. Over 70,000 people have seen or participated in Imaginary projects since 2006 in Queensland, nationally and internationally.

It seems a giant bird has roosted in the turbine platform of the Powerhouse, and you can come and play in its nest! Join giant-puppeteer Caitlin Strongarm for Powerkids: Little Artists at Play – Bird Brain and interact with giant puppets, feed the hungry bird, investigate the sound making eggs, or become a baby bird yourself.

Spanning 15 metres from wing-tip to wing-tip, and when at full height standing 6 metres tall, this monolith parrot is an interactive, giant-puppet installation designed to be operated by children aged from 2-5 years old. It sits in a nest that creates a sensory playscape for young audiences; textured eggs, dress ups, and stories to read together.

This giant bird has a pivoting neck built on a self-standing structure and connecting to an overhead rig, across and down to a crank system which controls the position of the head. By cranking the head to dropped position, children can feed the bird colourful seeds, and then crank it up to full height to allow the seeds to spill into its belly and onto anyone who might be standing underneath!

Engaging, interactive visual theatre for young people, Bird Brain hands the control of a giant puppet over to the smallest people in the room

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