In the “Drawing the Earth” Workshop, children enlarge an original drawing using elementary surveying techniques to construct a large‑scale geoglyph on the ground. The activity introduces measurement as both a scientific practice and a cultural technology, demonstrating how spatial information can be translated from a small reference image into an expansive terrestrial figure. By engaging directly with tools that determine distance, alignment, and proportional relationships, children encounter the mathematical structures that underlie the representation of space. Through hands‑on work, they come to understand that accurate measurement is not merely a technical procedure but a conceptual framework that links observation, reasoning, and physical action. As the art–science communication activity, the workshop enables children to gain a practical understanding of how artistic expression and scientific inquiry are deeply interconnected, showing how disciplined use of simple instruments can transform abstract ideas into visible forms in the landscape.
“Recreating the Nazca Lines” Designed for children aged 9 to 12, “Recreating the Nazca Lines” introduces the conceptual foundations of measurement as a fundamental human technology. The workshop examines how ancient cultures produced monumental ground drawings without aerial perspectives or modern instruments, relying instead on simple devices capable of determining direction and length—precursors to contemporary surveying tools. Children investigate the enduring question of how the Nazca Lines were constructed and what forms of knowledge made such large‑scale images possible. The activity centers on proportional reasoning: a small reference drawing is systematically enlarged using only string and thumbtacks, demonstrating how geometric similarity enables the translation of intimate sketches into expansive terrestrial figures. Through this embodied process, children come to appreciate how mathematical abstraction, empirical precision, and minimal materials can reshape physical space. The workshop thus connects ancient ingenuity with modern inquiry, emphasizing that accuracy arises not from advanced technology but from disciplined observation, logical structure, and collaborative problem‑solving.
“Something like Tadataka Ino” Intended for children aged 12 to 15, explores the historical and mathematical principles underlying early cartography. Drawing inspiration from Tadataka Ino—the surveyor who produced the first scientifically accurate map of Japan in the early nineteenth century—the workshop invites children to examine how geometric similarity, angular measurement, and proportional relationships form the basis of systematic land surveying. Through hands‑on activities, children consider how Ino achieved national‑scale precision long before the advent of modern optical or digital instruments. They learn to measure angles and distances, interpret spatial relationships, and understand how mathematical models translate the three‑dimensional world into two‑dimensional representation. Children also construct a simple alidade, enabling them to experience directly the observational techniques that guided Ino’s work. By integrating mathematical reasoning with practical craftsmanship, the workshop illuminates the intellectual rigor and methodological creativity that shaped early scientific mapping, while fostering an appreciation for the enduring value of accurate measurement in understanding the world.
“Anamorphose, Distorted Image” A program for children aged 15 to 18, examines a visual technique in which an image attains its correct form only when observed from a specific vantage point or through a mediating device. This method—familiar from soccer broadcasts where angled field graphics appear as upright three‑dimensional signs on television—reveals how perception, geometry, and representation interact. In the workshop, children employ a plane table to survey and record the critical vertices of an original drawing with high precision. These measured points are subsequently connected using a line marker, after which white rope is laid along the constructed lines and secured with stakes to produce a large‑scale geoglyph. Through this systematic procedure, children encounter the mathematical principles that govern distorted projection, including proportional transformation, spatial reference frames, and the relationship between viewpoint and visual coherence. The workshop demonstrates how rigorous measurement and geometric reasoning can generate compelling artistic forms, highlighting the deep continuity between scientific method and creative expression.
