Lap-See Lam is an artist of Cantonese origin who lives and works in Stockholm. She creates works that explore the experience of living between two places and cultures, and how it is possible to navigate through these different spaces. Navigate is a word we often use to refer to our movements on water, like a captain guiding their ship at sea. But we can also say navigate when we speak about life: “I’m trying to navigate this situation,” which means, “I’m trying to find my way, to move towards something new.” For many people who have had to leave home to settle elsewhere, navigating also means journeying between the memories we hold in our hearts and the new dreams we’re building. It’s about moving between what you’ve left behind and what you’re beginning to discover.
EDUCATION KIT
LAP-SEE LAM / NICO WILLIAMS
Illustration: Wendy-Alexina Vancol
PHI’s Education team is pleased to present this Education Kit to accompany the exhibitions Lap-See Lam: Shadow Play and Nico Williams: Bingo! This kit was conceived for group leaders and teachers, as well as adults that wish to explore art as a family. It can help you prepare for your visit or expand your knowledge following your visit.
PRE-VISIT
In it, you will find an introduction to our team, a preview of the exhibitions, and the themes it explores.
POST-VISIT
Afterwards, taking inspiration from the exhibitions, our team invites you to try the creative activities at home or in the classroom.
Before your visit
Introduction of the team and the exhibitions Lap-See Lam: Shadow Play and Nico Williams: Bingo
After your visit
Discover our creative activities
Lap-See Lam is an artist of Cantonese origin who lives and works in Stockholm. She creates works that explore the experience of living between two places and cultures, and how it is possible to navigate through these different spaces. Navigate is a word we often use to refer to our movements on water, like a captain guiding their ship at sea. But we can also say navigate when we speak about life: “I’m trying to navigate this situation,” which means, “I’m trying to find my way, to move towards something new.” For many people who have had to leave home to settle elsewhere, navigating also means journeying between the memories we hold in our hearts and the new dreams we’re building. It’s about moving between what you’ve left behind and what you’re beginning to discover.
Nico Williams is an Indigenous artist and member of the Aamjiwnaang community, part of the greater Anishinaabe nation. He currently lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Nico Williams uses games to create his work. Games are activities with rules and a purpose. They’re activities that we do together for fun. We can think of hopscotch, hide-and-seek, or board games, for example. But games can also allow us to experiment with new ways of doing things, and help us to see things in a new light. Nico does this by carefully re-creating exact copies of everyday objects using the Indigenous technique of beading, and playing with unexpected combinations between them to re-imagine their value. His works help us rethink our relationship to consumption and over-consumption, what we treasure and what we consider disposable.
Activity: Floating House
Inspired by the fascinating universe created by Lap-See Lam, we invite you to explore the theme of navigation through a creative activity entitled Floating House. This activity invites you to create a luminous house that floats and sails on water, as you imagine its history and destination.
Follow these steps
• A printed copy of the template (download it below in Step 1)
• Tracing paper
• A pencil crayon and colouring pencils
• A ruler
• Scissors
• Glue
• Glow sticks and/or a little electronic tealight candle
• A lightweight container that can float on water (for example, a little plastic of styrofoam tray)
Start by printing out the floating house template that you'll find below.
Download the template of the Floating House
This template will serve as the basis for the creation of your floating house. Take two sheets of tracing paper and, using a ruler and a pencil, trace the outline of the model onto the two transparent sheets.
Now imagine the world of your floating home. Who lives there? What objects or elements are inside? What's the story of the people who live there?
You can draw characters, objects, or even silhouettes. Use images that you found in magazines or on the Internet to trace them out and enrich your creation.
If you’re interested in the idea of silhouettes, you can create shapes like those found in shadow theatre. A silhouette is a projection of an object or person, that shows only their general shape, without the details.
Once you're happy with your pencil drawing, use felt-tip pens to add color or contrast to your creation. Let your imagination run wild to make your floating home a magical place.
Carefully cut out the outline of your house with the scissors. Fold the dotted lines and apply glue to the small tabs to assemble your house. This step takes a little patience, but you'll feel proud once everything's assembled.
Next, find a small plastic or Styrofoam container that will float, like a tray of vegetables. Place your tracing paper house on the container.
Fill a large bowl with water or use a sink or bathtub to float your house. For a magical finishing touch, add a small electric candle or glow sticks inside the house. Turn off the lights and let your floating house glow in the dark, as if by magic!
Enjoy!
You now have a floating home ready to sail. Where is it sailing to? Where is its destination? What obstacles does it encounter? What encounters does it make on its journey? What creatures help her on her journey? It's up to you to invent her story and her next adventures.
Share your creations with us at [email protected]!
Exploring the theme of navigation through a floating shadow theatre, you travel between memories, dreams and new discoveries, much like Lap-See Lam's dragon ship wandering in search of a new port to land in.
Activity: Kaleido-collage
Inspired by the way that Nico reinvents the everyday and the surprising combinations of commonly used objects, we’re going to show you how to carry out a creative activity called Kaleido-collage.
We suggest that you transform the packaging of objects in daily life to create a collage that reflects and reverses the everyday, like a kaleidoscope, in 2D and 3D versions.
Follow these steps
• A printed copy of the template for tracing (see Step 2)
• Scissors
• A felt pen
• Tape
• Packaging of everyday items (at least 5 different types)
To get started, gather your packaging. They may have been used to wrap your favourite food, a toy, or something else. The possibilities are endless!
There are two versions of this activity: 2D and 3D. For the 2D version, you’ll need 5 different wrappings. For the 3D version, you’ll need 12.
Tip: If the packaging you want to use is rigid, take a photo of it and print it out. This will make it easier to cut.
Print out the template.
Download the template here for the Kaleido-collageChoose the version of the activity you want to do, either 2D or 3D.
Then cut out the inner part of the shape in the template.
Keep only the outside, and tape over the scissor marks.
Using your stencil, choose which parts of the packaging you find most beautiful or interesting. You can frame those areas in the hole or your stencil.
Using a felt-tip pen, trace the outline of the triangular stencil on the packaging.
Repeat this step for each of your packages.
Using scissors, cut out the shapes you've traced.
For the 2D version, you'll cut out a total of 5 triangles. And for the 3D version, you'll cut out a total of 12.
2D version
Assemble your 5 cut-out shapes to form a pentagon.
Tape the sides together.
3D version
Assemble your shapes 3 by 3 to create a triangle.
Tape the sides together.
This will make 4 triangles.
Place one triangle in front of you. Place the other three triangles around it, side by side.
Then, tape the triangles together.
Fold the shape to bring the points of the triangles together and form a pyramid.
Tape the sides of your pyramid together.
Have fun!
PHI presents the exhibitions Shadow Play by Lap-See Lam and Bingo by Nico Williams from April 25 to September 14, 2025. This Education Kit was conceived by the Education Department at PHI.
Educators
Zo Bailly
Paul Lofeodo
Marilou Lyonnais Archambault
Director of Education and Mediation
Marie-Hélène Lemaire