The project "Once I was, now I am" was created for the children of the Gioia e Speranza preschool in Veronella, for whom Echo Labs built two sensory installations dedicated to play, discovery and contact with nature.

The initiative aims to introduce young children to the idea of reuse and respect for materials, while enriching the school's outdoor areas with elements designed to spark curiosity, movement and sensory perception.

Echo Labs designed and built a sound and experiential wall, along with a sensory trail developed around a tree already growing in the garden.

Both solutions are designed to blend into the existing space and offer children new ways to explore and play.

The sound wall invites children to interact directly with materials, shapes and objects, experimenting with sounds, movements and a variety of tactile sensations.

The installation is designed as an open space for discovery, where every element can be used and reinterpreted in new ways. That's how the base of an office coat stand became a steering wheel, pipes from a building site turned into amplifiers for the sound of rain, and pallet wood became a giant xylophone... and the creative magic carries on from there!

The second installation is built around a tree in the garden, bringing play and the natural environment together.

The trail guides children on a journey of exploration through different surfaces, materials and stimuli, turning the outdoor area into a place to experience in a more active and mindful way.

The installations reflect Echo Labs' approach: recovering materials and transforming them through design and craftsmanship, giving them new functions and new possibilities for use.

Developed with the support of FERCAM and in collaboration with the Gioia e Speranza preschool, the project also offers a simple, hands-on way to introduce children to the world of reuse: through play, they discover that materials and objects can be transformed, reinterpreted and become part of new experiences.