Magic Moment

The guided tours invite visitors to explore the body, space, and human interaction from new perspectives. 

What sounds does an exhibition make? What does silence sound like? And why am I the only one who can hear my thoughts?

In this workshop, participants focus their attention on all the sounds that surround us. Drawing on the artistic practice of the renowned musician Pauline Oliveros, we explore the difference between active listening and passive hearing. After playful experiments in which we try to hear everything that can be heard, participants capture their impressions through painting and drawing on paper. What does a rustling sound look like? Or a drop falling onto a metal surface? Engaging with the familiar yet often overlooked sounds around us and making them visible on paper opens up new perspectives for both children and adults.

How do you most enjoy moving through space? How do you approach one another? Or avoid one another? And how do you orient yourselves in a space? 

Drawing on impulses from performance art, participants discover new ways of moving and combine them into spontaneous choreographies. Inspiration comes from the American dancer Anna Halprin, who viewed dance as a collective process, and from performance artist Simone Forti, who transformed simple actions such as pulling or carrying together into artistic acts. Experiencing togetherness, being considerate of others, and at the same time enjoying individual freedom of movement within a group are central aspects of this format.

 There is also painting involved: building on the newly explored dance movements, participants transfer their movements through space onto paper using brushes and watercolor paints. What does a turn look like? A jump? Or a roll? The groups then try to dance each other’s brushstrokes. When entirely new movement patterns emerge, the results can be both surprising and delightfully fun.

Do world maps truly represent the world? What did maps look like when people believed the Earth was flat? And is learning how to read maps a skill that must be taught? 

This playful and reflective workshop explores cartography and questions the culturally shaped systems we use to organize the world. Mapping is an open form of expression that not only depicts reality but also actively shapes and interprets it. 

Participants discuss world maps: Who created them, from what perspective, and for what purpose? Who draws borders, where, and why? Inspired by questions about their own ideas of what an ideal world might look like, children develop their own cartographic designs as shared utopian visions. Drawing on the artistic practice of Pia Moos, the workshop focuses on personally meaningful spaces: a playground, a secret hideout, or the route to school. Everything can be freely imagined, reinvented, and brought to life on paper. Participants paint, draw, and create collages to give shape to their unique worlds.

90 minutes—10 euros per child
120 minutes—12 euros per child
Two accompanying participants free of charge and mandatory

Any additional accompanying persons pay the regular entrance fee of 4.00 euros per person

Groups of fewer than ten participants must pay the fee for ten participants.
We kindly ask that at least one accompanying adult also attends.
Please include younger siblings in the number of participants.
Children should please bring drinking bottles and wear clothes that can get dirty.

Included in the price

• Guided tour by an art educator during the booked event
• Engaging tour of the current exhibition
• Selected artistic workshop presented in the lab or the library
• High-quality materials
• Admission covers participants and two accompanying adults
• Opportunity to explore all areas of the venue independently before or after the educational offering
• Optional: a timeslot to experience Toshi’s Gift (only available for 120-minute sessions, weather permitting and subject to availability)

Catering can be arranged directly with the Das Altoona bistro, which is located in our building. If you wish to bring your own birthday cake, it can be enjoyed at the Altoona for a small fee. For detailed information and to reserve a table, please contact the Altoona team.

E-Mail: museumnoe@edison.at
Tel.: 0043 664 995 25 908 

Bookings can be cancelled free of charge up to three days prior the booked date. If cancelled two days prior to the booked date, the cancellation fee is 50% of the total amount. Cancellations on the day of the booked date are not possible and NÖ Kulturlandeshauptstadt St.Pölten GmbH must charge a cancellation fee of 100% of the total amount.