A new free exhibition designed specifically for young people has opened its doors at Valence House Museum in Dagenham.

The display, called ;-) :-& ;-O New Town Culture: Art for Young People (Adults Welcome), offers children and teenagers a place to interact and express themselves. 

Visitors will find gigantic, noisy art on show and get hands on with the exhibit – sit on specially sculpted chairs, play with audio buttons, watch videos, and control an interactive light projection. 

This exhibit gives young people a place to relax, talk and get creative – but even adults can come along and be big kids for the day! 

Some of the art on show has been made in local art clubs with foster families from across Barking and Dagenham.

The exhibition is by London-born artist Rebecca Davies and forms part of Barking and Dagenham Council’s New Town Culture programme and part of the council’s Becontree Forever Programme, which celebrates 100 years of the Becontree Estate.

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership & Engagement, said: “This exhibit gives young people a place to relax, talk and get creative – but even adults can come along and be big kids for the day! 

“It’s quite rare that you can get hands on and use the art works you see at an exhibition, especially to play around with and enjoy, so this really is some unique, free fun this summer if you’re freeing creative.”

The New Town Culture programme celebrates the incredible stories, knowledge and skills of the residents of Barking and Dagenham through workshops, clubs, exhibitions, live performances.

The scheme is supported by Cultural Impact Award for the London Borough of Culture, a Mayor of London initiative, and is supported by the Young Londoners Fund, the GLA and the MOPAC Violence Reduction Unit. 

The free ;-) :-& ;-O New Town Culture: Art for Young People (Adults Welcome) exhibit is at Valence House Museum, on Becontree Avenue, and is running from Saturday, 3 July until Sunday 5 September.