We all have neighbours—some nearby, others farther away, some above or below. They can be friends or sometimes annoying, and we can help each other out.

In a country like Ukraine, where people are suffering since they were invaded more than two years ago, relationships between neighbours, as well as the neighbours themselves, have changed. According to a Ukrainian architect: neighbours move away when their buildings are destroyed, distant neighbours become close friends, and everyone in the town becomes a close neighbour as they share the same experience. Those who have fled the country find – as well as become -neighbours to people in their new place.

Students and their families from OM Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv will make dolls’ houses in a shoebox in virtual workshops around the theme of reimagine your neighbour. They have lived through more than two years of war and have not been able to attend university or school physically. Some spend a lot of time in bomb shelters and others have moved to different parts of Ukraine or to another country. Those who stayed in Kharkiv live without electricity much of the time. 

The results of the online workshop and the virtual dolls’house will be on display at EH Smith Design centre. There will also be a real dolls’house installation with dolls’houses made by neighbours of EH Smith in London.

How to participate?

Anyone who feels inspired can also participate and grow the virtual dolls’house, in solidarity with those who are displaced or are living with war. Artists of all ages and their close ones can creatively share their ideas. Do you have a favourite neighbour? How are you as a neighbour? 

Making a dolls’ house in a shoebox engages participants in critical thinking and craft skills. It visually demonstrates the importance of community and mutual support for all people. The Giant Dolls’house project is a social arts project that asks participants to make a dolls’house in a shoebox. The project is run by Catja de Haas Architects and is the result of Catja’s research into the home and miniature.

Explanation of the activity

All that is required is a box (it doesn’t have to be a shoebox!). Decorate it in a way that reflects your current experiences, emotions and surroundings, or something else that helps you or others find comfort in in these times. 

You can make a box with members of your household or work or on your own. Along with your box, write a short story or explanation about it:  what you made and why, or a thought to go with your box – we love hearing about your experiences!

We would like you to photograph your finished box, and then email it to us along with your story. We will take your images and stories, toand create one big global community Giant Dolls’ House at www.giantdollshouse.com . We hope to print out the final dolls’ house installation and exhibit it in a London Location to be part of refugee week 2024 and the London Festival of Architecture.  

Creative tips

To make your doll’s house you need a shoebox or box of any size, without a lid. You can decorate the box with anything that you find in your home or your environment. 

Think about natural materials such as bark, plants and natural fibres or re-used materials such as old magazines, fabric scraps, loo rolls, scraps of wallpaper, bottle caps, old newspapers, sweet wrapping, plastic bottle caps, old fabric, etc. 

Then there’s lolly-pop sticks, paper and card, pencil and paint as well as old pieces of jewellery, anything you can find. You can make whatever you like in your box. You’ll also need glue, scissors and pen and paper (be careful with sharps and ask an adult for help if you need it).  

We will post more ideas and other boxes on our social media, so follow us! @giantdollshouse on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Cans, lolly-pop sticks, bottle tops. Look what you have in your house.

Look what you can make from simple elements.

Photography

Please make sure you photograph your box against a neutral background (preferably black), and take a picture from the front of the box with the focus in the middle.  Make sure you send the image in high resolution.

Safeguarding and data privacy

• Parents and guardians should email or share work on behalf of young people aged under 18
• The only identifying information Giant Dolls House will publish alongside participants’ work is their first name(s), age(s) (if under 18) and the country, city, town or borough where they live. Participants may withhold this information if they wish. 
• Catja de Haas and Giant Dolls House will delete  participants’ contact details as soon as their images have been processed and will guard them safely until then. They will not be shared without consent. Participants will only be contacted in relation to this project.
• Share images and stories on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter @giantdollshouse.
• Email your finished box with the story to: info@giantdollshouse.org, or submit it to our website www.giantdollshouse.org and follow instructions.
• The deadline for your box to be included in the virtual exhibition is June 12