© Underdog Heavy Industries 1969-2011  Malorees Infant School Malorees had an underused corner area outside their hall dominated by a huge oak tree.  As a school with an emphasis on art they were hoping for a development that would allow multiple art activities within the space.  They were also keen for us to run an art project with the children and to plant an attractive sensory area with the practical purpose of shielding the composting bins. Malorees has a very creative atmosphere and working outside the hall we became aware of just how many performative activities were going on within the school.  With this in mind we proposed, then designed and built a stage area complete with shade canopies, seating and stage-themed decorative elements. We constructed an attractive curving pathway through the site, linking all the elements together and showcasing a living willow dome with planted borders. One corner of the site was given over to four musical instruments: a bat-phone, chimes, cymbals and a tongue piano. Along the path between the willow dome and the stage we made a labyrinth of painted panels, windows, mirrors and applied decorative pieces.  The  children from each class were taken out to explore some of the school’s wild and natural areas and then asked to produce drawings and paintings of the interesting plants and insects they had seen.  The children did us proud and came up with lots of great pictures which we then assembled into collages of plants and animals.  We transposed these collages onto decorative panels.  Some of the designs became coloured cut out windows, some were painted onto the panels themselves and some became separate pieces roaming over the adjacent timber-work.  Malorees Infant School have their own website here which gives great insight into the ethos of the school.  We enjoyed working there.