Curiosity Cart

Commissioned by Bow Arts, we ran a series of design workshops with Year 6 Arts Council students at Lansbury Lawrence Primary School to co-design a playful, mobile storage solution. The resulting ‘Curiosity Cart’ was constructed and delivered to the school early in 2019. The Curiosity Cart is crafted from 35 layers of 12mm and 24mm FSC-certified spruce plywood, CNC cut, hand-glued, and finished with precision. Pops of color include a panel inspired by the iconic Peggy Angus tiled mural that decorates the school’s entrance hall. Thirteen interactive play elements are integrated into the cart, focusing on sound, touch, and sight. After co-design workshops with selected pupils across Key Stages 1 and 2, play features from each child’s prototype were combined around a basic axle and caster frame to form the final design. Highlights include a brass and timber xylophone with brass sound horns rising along the left wheel arch, an abacus nestled within the right wheel arch, a curved mirror chamber at the front offering distorted reflections, and a hidden compartment revealing a surprise message for the lucky discoverer.