Mom, is this a video game? The dangers of showing children’s art on screen | Art and design

YDo you know about Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights? That psychedelic triptych chock-a-block with real and imagined creatures and monstrosities in hell? Well, my son and I are in it. In fact, we are smack dab in the middle of the cosmic core, which is visible on the walls around us, as well as the ceiling and floor. There are naked men and women riding ducks and deer and horses. Camels and cows. Butterflies and birds. Pale legs from the shell.

This is our first visit Unlimitedan art gallery near Marble Arch in London that bills itself as a place “where art is free”. Call me traditional, but digital art is not my thing. I was happy David Hockney in Lightroomwhere I also took my son to see the dinosaurs – the day we went, the audience was almost made up of tots and their adults. But I prefer the animations to be still rather than animated. I like to focus on the fabric instead of watching it deteriorate and dissolve. I want art to be meaningful and lasting. Tangible. Really.

This is not just about me, so here we are, in what can be described as a children’s information society on steroids. I’m not doing justice. Passing through four large underground rooms are moments of beauty and art. While the paintings in the space of surrealism are divided according to their components (think melting clocks), the abstract canvases are appropriately broken up by brushstrokes. The accompanying music is a ride: my son goes to jazz; I was fascinated by one of Bach’s cello suites. Witnessing the many tiny dots slowly connect to create Seurat’s La Grande Jatte is truly amazing.

“I hope it’s a bridge for people to learn to love art,” artistic director Ryan Atwood tells me. “I can’t imagine being a kid and seeing things like this, what that would have done to me.” In the mirrors, children fish for stars on the floor and lean against the walls. A girl is doing her ballet. Someone sings. A child facing forward in a carrier is shaking his head. I heard a boy tell his father that he knew him, he did it in art class.

My son’s comments are different. Of course, it is easier to keep his interest here than in museums and museums. The nectar makes him think of pasta, and the silver sheen reminds him of fish. But he doesn’t like downward spiral predictions (see raised arms and shaking fingers) and I don’t blame her – the layers on the bottom of my feet leave me feeling restless too. There are pockets of peace, but they are often loud and noisy, and they still stick. Images are here one second, gone the next. There is a lot of damage and destruction.

He is very happy in the temporary space provided for The Color Monster, a picture book by Anna Llenas, which is calm and gentle, and where he can sit and write with crayons and paper. I later learn that Frameless has special sections for toddlers, which in retrospect may have made him feel more comfortable; I would say that the mirror activity is best suited for children aged three and over (I have no doubt that my niece and nephew, eight, would love it).

I also remember, after the first 15 minutes of walking through the main halls, that we are surrounded by displays. The debate about children and viewing time is not new, and the government has recently released it instructions for children under five years of agebehind research that shows that 98 percent of children under the age of two watch television every day, and that too much screen time can make children less ready for school. The report advises that those under two should avoid screen time “except for events that promote cooperation, interaction and discussion”.

I’m not a purist – my son watches TV with his toast after nursery, and sometimes we really appreciate the iPad (flights, haircuts, nail trimming – oh my god, nail trimming). But there are limits. I wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of ​​taking him to a baby movie, and I prefer my husband to not have a ball when we’re all in the living room (sorry, husband). Then again, this is art, which makes it better, right? Isn’t it?

“A lot of times I think it’s not just about the visuals, it’s about the content,” says Dylan Yamada-Rice, a professor of design and critical storytelling, when I ask whether parents should be careful about exposing young children to art. “We have to think about the content, but I don’t think we should take it for the visuals. We want our children to be exposed to art as a culture – especially since it is being removed from the school curriculum – and digital art is another form of this.”

When I ask Atwood how digital art compares to screen time, she tells me the difference is that Frameless has to meet. “It’s talking to the person you’re with and discussing what you see, hear, hear.” In other words, it’s not just that – however, he emphasizes, “It can be done in any way you want.”

For us, it will be once in a while. There is something magical about getting up close and personal with great art, and watching it come to life. I appreciate that different experiences offer new perspectives. My back is grateful that I don’t have to carry my son all the time to show him pictures or stop him from touching things.

But I don’t like the idea of ​​them getting used to a technology that, let’s face it, can look more like a video game than the screen it was set on. I don’t want them to be disappointed, after all the bells and whistles, it’s a standard skill without the bumf. I don’t want them to think that art is best seen through a phone (many people we pass are experiencing events through them). More importantly, I can’t pay for both of us to see digital art when (for now) we can see the real thing with nowhere else to go.

Three deep art previews for you to discover

Prehistoric Planet: Finding Dinosaurs in Lightroom, London (18 July-1 September)

Titanic Exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham (until 26 May)

Beyond Van Gogh and Beyond Monet at Motorpoint Arena Nottingham, Nottingham (18 July-7 August)