TWO artists are inviting the public to watch both them and their children as a live art installation.

The family, of Norwich, have been drafted in by the Lincoln Art Programme and will spend five days opening their private lives to members of the public as part of the Boy Horse Shoe Bed exhibition.

Anna Townley and Lawrence Bradby will set up home with Hope Bradby, 5, and Martha Bradby, 2, and invite members of the public come to the property and join in with open-house events.

Ms Townley, who works with husband Lawrence under the name Townley and Bradby, said: "The residency is about creativity and family life.

"We are interested in bringing our arts practice together with the daily rituals of family life.

"We are interested in ways that, as parents, we can interrupt the continuity of these repeated actions, introducing small but significant differences to see how they change the direction of play or activity."

Mr Bradby said: "We are going to bring together two things: the interest our children have of drawing around objects and meals times. During our stay in Lincoln, we plan to cover the kitchen table with a fresh paper table cloth each day and make a record of that day's activities by drawing around everything that rests on it."

The installation will be in the top four floors of a converted windmill in Princess Street, Lincoln, from Sunday, October 24, to Friday, October 29. The house will be open to the public from 10am noon.

The free participation sessions will not be planned, but are likely to include drawing, crafts, playing, enjoying a drink of tea, as well as the chance to share family traditions and discuss approaches to problem-solving.

The couple are also planning to have their youngsters conduct a guided tour of the city. The children will take the lead and be encouraged to take any route which seems interesting to them in a bid to show Lincoln through the eyes of a child.

The 40-minute free tour will take place on the Thursday, starting from The Collection, in Danes Terrace at 1pm.

The artists will also give a presentation of their work on Wednesday that week at the Sam Scorer Gallery.

The Boy Horse Shoe Bed exhibit will be the last show in this year's series of events, which has seen an interactive ping-pong session and a Nordic explorer visit the city.

Organisers Alan Armstrong, of the Lincoln Art Programme, said: "Our aim is to broaden people's perspective of what art is, so although these exhibits are not paintings on walls or a sculpture, it can still be art."

For more information, visit www.lincolnartprogramme.co.uk