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Aberporth
Primary | Ysgol Saron | Ysgol
Llangadog | Ysgol Llangynfelyn My Square
Mile 2006 - Places and Spaces
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Artist's Statement Thoughts on My
Square Mile In thinking about the world built environment I found myself wondering how I might extend vision to other possible ways of creating it. My sense was that if our experience is limited, either by age or circumstances, how can we know if there are other ways of creating environments other than the one that we encounter every day? With this question as my starting point I invited children in both schools to consider their own needs and what they might want from a man made space. In the two schools work has developed along different lines as result of the locale and ages of the children. I bring a particular personal interest to this project which arises from curiosity about the physical nature of the world and my response to it through art making. Perhaps because of this interest I have become conscious of the way that physical knowing informs image making. When children handle materials and tools the action brings different knowledge to their two dimensional image making. The experience of the world and then the image making are in a constant dialogue. Alongside of this is the seductiveness of materials, the logic of ‘form follows function’ is not relevant if we want to try out a new material! Through working with unfamiliar materials new forms and solutions can arise provided the work is honoured as research rather than seen as making an end product. Research is enabled to give birth to invention. I
have been acutely aware throughout the project that we are all subject
to the power of our social conditioning, we want to please. I have
seen how children will attempt to make work to satisfy me. As an artist
this creates an overwhelming and fatal trap, ever present and stifling
creativity. In a world driven by economic imperatives it is depressingly
inevitable that only a few individuals will ever get the chance to
bring about innovative changes to social spaces. It takes courage
to break out of conventional patterns of behaviour and to embrace
new ways of doing things. In the context of this project my aim was
to invite the children to explore both their internal and external
relations to the world and to provide them with materials through
which they might articulate their own imaginative suggestions and
personal visions for the built environment. My Square Mile, Saron Primary School 24 children 1. Exploring Spaces We
walked around the school to show me the grounds and to start to familiarise
the children with it, some having only just started in school. There
is a building site opposite the school.
1. Collect plant colours with small sketch books 2.
Colour from the building site opposite mix with water sieve out any
large material. Compare colour with another space (mine) 3. Constructing and experimenting Gil
worked with us using foam blocks 4. Bringing construction and materials together Using
our local paint, painting on the foam blocks having looked at the
school bricks. Once dry we can apply plant colour. 5. Ways of dealing with the weather (more materials)/ the shape of our buildings Using the overhead projector, make drawings of their models as they are silhouetted on the projector. Wool,
different leaves, walnut, maple, oak etc for weaving into their structure.
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Teacher's Statement My Square Mile – Places and Spaces 2006 Saron Primary School It has been an exciting time at Saron School since the day Pip Woolf first arrived and the children took her for a walk around the building and guided her around our various outside areas. The children soon became mesmerized as Pip explored the children’s perception of their environment. Children as young as three and four years old quickly developed a high level of independence in numerous situations and became increasingly involved in their tasks. They voluntarily exchanged partners and ideas as they helped each other develop their work. Many children displayed a natural ability to build and create 3Dimentionaly, returning to re-evaluate and improve their work from one session to another. Others became completely immersed as they produced fine pieces of work with clay. If 3D work did not appeal to the children’s sense of creativity they quickly involved themselves in creating using mediums such as charcoal, pastels and masking tape expressing themselves through lines and markings. Discussions regarding the use of natural colours developed as a springboard to create new colours ….. “Look, look ….. it’s turning orange now …. oh no ….it’s brown!” During the visits members of staff also found themselves following the same process as the children, thinking about their own space, becoming interested in the activities and keen to look for new colours in the environment and to create rubbings in their sketch books. The adults became freer in their designs and paintings as they worked alongside the children continuously discussing the 3D creations.
Without a
doubt the experiences and skills that were developed during the activities
were invaluable and we would like to thank Pip Woolf for her guidance
and inspiration during these activities.
Ein Milltir Sgwar Ysgol Saron Bu`r
cyfnod yn un cyffrous iawn o`r diwrnod cyrhaeddodd Pip Woolf i Ysgol
Saron, a`r plant yn ei thywys hi tu allan ac o gwmpas yr adeilad gan
ddangos amrywiol ardaloedd iddi. Hudolwyd y mwyafrif ohonynt ganddi
wrth iddi ofyn i`r plant feddwl am eu gofod hwy eu hunain. Wrth i`r
plant mor ifanc a thair a phedair oed gymryd rhan gwelwyd hwy`n gweithio
yn annibynnol mewn amrywiol sefyllfaoedd gan symud yn wirfoddol at bartneriaid
i ddatblygu`r dasg gan gynnig syniadau a chynnig help i`w gilydd.
Dangosodd rhai o`r plant eu bod yn meithrin sgiliau i adeiladu`n dri dimensiwn mawr gan fynd nol i`r weithgaredd o un sesiwn i sesiwn arall. Ymgollodd eraill ar weithio`n gywrain a manwl ar waith clai. Os nad oedd y tasgau 3D yn apelio bu eraill am hydoedd yn creu llinellau a marciau i gynllunio ar raddfeudd mawr a bach gan ddefnyddio golosg a phasteli yn ogystal a thapiau masgio. Wrth drafod y lliwiau naturiol, cynhyrfwyd a symbylwyd y plant lawer tro wrth iddynt greu lliwiau newydd… “Edrych, edrych… mae e`n troi`n oren nawr… o na… mae e`n mynd yn frown.” Yn ystod ymweliadau Pip Woolf ag Ysgol Saron bu aelodau`r staff drwy`r un broses o feddwl am eu gofod hwy eu hunain gan ddangos diddordeb mawr yn y gweithgareddau ac yn awyddus i chwilio am liwiau naturiol tu allan a chreu rhwbiadau yn eu braslyfrau. Teimlwyd eu bod wedi ymlacio wrth gynllunio a pheintio yn ogystal a chael hwyl yn trin a thrafod y deunyddiau 3D wrth ddilyn trywydd y plant ac ymateb i`w syniadau. Gan feddwl am ganlyniadau dymunol y Blynyddoedd Cynnar daeth nifer ohonynt yn amlwg gan restri ond ychydig – • siarad am yr ysgol • i ofyn cwestiynau a gwrando ar atebion • i fynegi anghenion • parchu gwaith ei gilydd • gweithio`n annibynnol a chydweithio ag eraill • i ganolbwyntio am gyfnodau cynyddol • cyfleoedd i rannu syniadau ac i drafod yr hyn sydd ar waith • cyfleodd i ddefnyddio amrywiaeth o ddeunyddiau • cyfleoedd i archwilio eu posibiliadau • cyfloedd i wneud dewisiadau am liw a chyfrwng • i ddechrau sylwi ar waith eraill ac i werthfawrogi • i drin cyfarpar bach gyda rheoleth gynyddol • i ddechrau datrys problemau • i deimlo`n hyderus • i archwilio ac i arbrofi • i ddechrau deall pwysigrwydd yr amgylchfyd
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