The traditional diorama uses a miniature scale to represent a scene. To populate a large, life-size diorama, pose and clothe mannequins to play all the parts of your tableau. As a medium, the large-scale diorama combines elements of theater, performance and the visual arts. To balance the stillness of the mannequins, add a few moving elements, such as mobiles or chimes that catch the breeze, alternating lighting or even a live goldfish in a bowl.
Instead of dressing your mannequins in traditional clothing, create costumes for them out of unorthodox materials. Using mannequins instead of live models will increase your latitude when selecting materials, as the costumes will not be subjected to movement. Paper, foods, flowers and raw materials can all provide inspiration. To get ideas, look at the images used in popular prints or break a certain look down into its constituent parts. For example, you might imitate a pinstriped suit with a material that comes in long, thin bands, such as pipe cleaners, ribbons or strips of celluloid film.
For an art project that pays tribute to a favorite work, dress up a mannequin to resemble a famous portrait or painting that features multiple people. For example, if you wish to emulate John Singer Sargeant's "Madame X," clothe the mannequin in a dress with a suitably plunging neckline. You may need to paint the mannequin to mimic the pale flesh tones of the woman in the painting. For added realism, create a "backdrop" for the mannequin. The scene will appear to bring the artist's model back to life, posing for the famous painting.
For a creative and vibrant art project that's appropriate for a high school art class, paint a collection of mannequins with bright, vivid colors. To suit the medium of mannequin bodies, select a suitable theme for the project. You might title the display "Our colorful student body," letting each student use bright colors to paint a mannequin as personal self-expression. Alternately, you could assign one mannequin to each of several student groups, letting them pick a theme that their mannequin will represent. An "environmental" mannequin might feature paintings of local flora and fauna; a "sports" mannequin would represent school teams; a "musical" mannequin would celebrate school music and performance groups.