Reshaping the Toon


A large cardboard cutout art installation shaped like a stylized building with geometric panels and the text 'THE PEOPLE'S KITCHEN' on the facade, photographed indoors on a polished floor.
A handmade paper art sculpture featuring stylized horses on a geometric white base, photographed on a wooden floor.
An abstract architectural model or art installation made of layered paper/cardboard structures, displayed indoors on a light floor with strong sunlight and windows in the background.
A children's architectural model display featuring wooden towers, domes, and a circular pathway made of small white and blue pieces, arranged on light wood tables in a bright indoor space with windows and chairs in the background.

Reshaping the Toon was a community-led participatory art commission created in the lead-up to Newcastle's NOVUM Summer Festival (7–9 August). Directed by Cabinet of Curiosity Studio, the project invited people across the city to build miniature paper landmarks to construct a collective pop-up paper city. The commission was inspired by Dominoes, Station House Opera's spectacular moving artwork involving thousands of breeze blocks in a giant domino run across Newcastle city centre on Sunday, August 9.

Participatory workshops with community groups and venues along the Dominoes route, including The People's Kitchen, Newcastle City Library and Yasmina Café involved participants using paper materials and slotted-card constructions to explore themes of place, discovery, imagination, and community connection. Through creative construction play, paper crafting techniques, shared storytelling, and engagement with local architecture, Reshaping the Toon brought together people from across Newcastle, and encouraged participants to connect with their surroundings and with one another. Together, their handcrafted structures formed a playful architectural landscape that celebrated the city's rich built heritage and the creativity, collaboration, and collective spirit of its communities.

 

Image credits

RESHAPING THE TOON, 2026, Cabinet of Curiosity Studio, Workshops and Temporary Installation

Photos: Cabinet of Curiosity Studio

RESHAPING THE TOON: CABINET OF CURIOSITY STUDIO 
NOVUM Festival, UK, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, UK
May - September 2026