Wonderbox

'Wonderbox' was a participatory arts project that used arts, making and design to explore South Tyneside’s community and heritage through story telling using paper crafts and immersive arts. This project was supported by an Arts Council England National Lottery Project grant and South Tyneside Council. 

Wonderbox invited children aged 8-11 years to explore their neighbourhood through creative activities that were interactive, playful and engaging inspired by the art and design of the paper peepshows and tunnel books: optical toys that are the precursor to film and digital immersive environments. Curiosity was a prime factor in the peep show with three-dimensional paper scenes revealing stories from history using the devices and language of the sideshow to engage an audience in wonder. Consisting of a front and back panel with cut-out printed scenes in-between, linked by folded sides, the peepshow looks like a stretched-out concertina when open.

This project involved children and families in creating their own Wonderbox peep shows using paper materials and paper craft techniques.  Engagement activities included: downloadable resources and visual  instruction for making a Wonderbox; outreach workshops in community spaces; a small scale travelling paper pop-up exhibition; and take away Wonderbox creative kits in flat sheet form for distribution outside of workshops. The Wonderbox project travelled to various community spaces across South Tyneside during February until July 2025, promoting the stories and cultural heritage of the region whilst encouraging participants to make their own paper Wonderbox telling their own stories of South Tyneside. A small scale travelling Wonderbox, created by the
Cabinet of Curiosity Studio, engaged children and families in a small scale immersive and
interactive installation sharing stories of South Tyneside through playful paper
scenes to inspire creativity.

 

Visit this page for a free Wonderbox tunnel book toy to print with instructions for construction.

Image credits

WONDERBOX, 2025, Cabinet of Curiosity Studio, participatory art commission

Photos: Cabinet of Curiosity Studio

WONDERBOX: CABINET OF CURIOSITY STUDIO

South Tyneside, UK
October 2024-July 2025