Kids always do the darndest things—a shameless quality generations their senior secretly admire. Sculptor Eva Rothschild decided to put that bold curiosity in the context of the art world by placing a handful of rambunctious youngsters (all boys, between the ages of six and twelve) in a gallery filled with her sculptures. Then she turned on her camera and filmed what happened. The resulting video, Boys and Sculpture, is currently on view at London’s Whitechapel Gallery, which commissioned the work for its Childrens Art Commission, an annual project where an artist creates a work that engages with children. The Guardian released a version of the video on its Web site, which can be viewed here.

Irish-born and London-based, Rothschild is known for creating sculptures that work with their environment to create unprecedented effects. Using unconventional materials like leather, wood, Perspex, incense sticks, and day-Glo-Paint, her (often public) creations seem to defy their physical limitations with their towering geometric forms that viewers can walk under, touch, and play with any way they see fit. The characters in her Boys and Sculpture film take full advantage of their interactive freedom, as they go from walking around the sculptures to poking, prodding, and ultimately demolishing them. A curious study on how boys interact with the material world and each other, Rothschild’s work records more than one instinctive approach to contemporary art.

Boys and Sculpture is on view at the Whitechapel Gallery through September 9. Rothschild will be giving a talk about the gender issues explored in her film on July 26.