The 42 Gallery Leeds

We have started our residency at 42 New Briggate, Leeds by the Grand Theatre.

Over the first 3 weeks of March we are building Dens, inviting people to come and make things which can be viewed through the windows of the gallery.
Last week we made each other some structures, and put some pictures up.
On Friday Sarah and Ada came to our first workshop and made a new dwelling and miniature tower house- then Ada turned into a giant orange caterpillar.
Also The Den Project Archive has been installed for visitors to add to.

Open Weekend 27th and 28th March 11 - 7pm

Soho

Chelsea

Coney Island

New York, USA

The Den Project
-21/01/10
will be den building on Coney Island
mid morning
come along if you fancy!

International Den Making Day, Banyoles, Spain

It was in a ditch. There was a traditional teepee construction of twigs round a tree. Outside was a "tray" of "bread" (planks with insulation foam on them). next to this in a another tree was a platform about 1.5m above the ground that about 3 kids could climb up to. It was pretty dangerous. between these 2 constructions were 2 planks that formed a bridge over the ditch. At one point Sylvia was a kind of gatekeeper for the bridge.
I saw this den on international den making day. I don't think that the children who had made it were aware that they were contributing to such a prestigious international art collaboration.
Joe Robinson

more memories over cake 3/10/09

Malcolm
Our house backed onto a chicken farm off the Stratford Road in Birmingham and a Tennis Club.
We (kids on the street) used to climb over into the farm and build dens out of the brush and material lying around.
There's a photo of us sitting on logs in the farm.
We also used to get into the tennis club and make dens out of the summer foliage and either no-one knew or didnt bother about us, they probably were happy we were out of the way.

I also had a seat high up in an ash tree until my dad had to chop it down as the roots started to destroy the garage.
The taylors had a tree house built for them.

Shirley
We moved to the Wirral during the war and had a garden that then had a kind of bridge over a ditch and some wood at the back.
We used to make dens in the wood which felt like it was separate to the rest of the garden and the house and therefore parents.
They weren't fancy things just temporary structures from sticks and whatever was around.

What is the definition of a den?