The Shape of My Light

Theatre Porto , 2026

I worked with Year 4 and 5 children from Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School to create The Shape of My Light, a large suspended sculpture for Theatre Porto’s Topsy Turvy.

We began by exploring light in different ways, from stars, sunlight and energy to the idea of an inner light. Through conversation, drawing and poetry, the children thought about the things that guide us, the choices we make and the qualities we value in ourselves and other people.

Using chalk and oil pastel, each child developed an abstract shape representing what it felt like to be themselves. They then translated their drawings into three-dimensional forms using aluminium wire, foil tape, reflective materials and coloured lighting filters.

I brought the individual pieces together as a large suspended mobile, designed to catch, reflect and change with the light around it. The children’s words and ideas also became a collective poem and short digital artwork, combining their readings with images of the making process.