Visually, images of birds become a powerful representation of this identity. A group of learners interested in developing skills in art & design engaged in a 2-week sprint to develop ideas for mascot merchandise to debut this identity.
Working from a range of existing templates, learners were able to practise essential papercraft skills to keep their hands busy. Examples of these skills include:
- Holding a pair of scissors and cutting around a curved line;
- Estimating by eye and making decisions about how to cut away different types of shapes;
- Cutting along a straight line using a craft knife and a ruler;
- Scoring the paper using the back of a craft knife;
- Growing practical knowledge in working with paper, such as its flexibility and durability;
🔥 The Art Bonfire
Honestly, it wasn't just about keeping their hands busy but having enough practice to make links to the way of working. In short, stealing from artists.
Honestly, it wasn't just about keeping their hands busy but having enough practice to make links to the way of working. In short, stealing from artists.
"Established practice refers to works by artists that are recognised as belonging to a particular genre, style, convention, or way of working." This, as stated in NZC Visual Arts marks a crucial difference in a learner's cognitive experience.
So what has paper cutting and folding got to do with art?
"We do not always create 'works of art,' but rather experiments; it is not our ambition to fill museums: we are gathering 'experience.' - Josef Albers, "Creative Education," 1982, in Hans Maria Wingler, The Bauhaus: Weimar, Dessau, Berlin, Chicago (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1969), 142.
Imagine the instructions only consist of 1) Print out the template; 2) Use a pair of scissors and cut around the solid lines; 3) Fold along the dotted lines; 4) You are done. The assumption is that we would be creating a perfect object and there is only one way of arriving at that point. As opposed to familiarising yourself with the materials and acquiring the appropriate level of skills to explore - in the hope of building new knowledge (just in case). I would Some may argue that this awareness is what differentiates a makerspace and a creative studio.
While the objects provide some insight into the way that they're made, they are not the end-points of this journey. How do we help learners go beyond 'following instructions' so 'happy accidents' can occur?
While teaching at Bauhaus, Josef Albers (1888-1976) challenged his students through a series of material studies with strict parameters. These exercises aimed to extend their understanding of the materiality of paper through purposeful play. Perhaps influenced by John Dewey (1859-1952) that they shared a similar approach to knowledge acquisition - through active engagement with the physical world, learning by doing.
But what do I know, really? I'm just a (f.) flâneur..
📦 Bonus Skill
[Digital drawings in SketchBook, or even Notability, on iPad]
