‘Interaction with artefacts deepens students’ learning.’ (Schultz 2012, p.185)
Your task is to prepare and deliver a 20-minute learning activity for your tutor group, based around an object. You can approach this activity imagining your tutor group are your students, or as they are (a group of teachers from different disciplines and with different levels of experience); it’s up to you.
‘Object-Based Learning’ may be used to develop any of the following (not an exhaustive list): Observational skills
Visual literacy (ability to ‘read’ objects, to find meaning from them)
Design awareness and knowledge
Team working
Critical analytical skills
Drawing skills
Communication
Aesthetic judgement
Understanding of key concepts (e.g. branding, style, ethics)
Research skills and confidence
Inspiration
Kasia Idzi – Zines Show – Discuss – Share Kasia shared with us some examples from the UAL Library zine collection. We discussed the zine as an object. personal point of views – difficult subjects – can be offensive – amateur – low-fi – analogue – humour – lightness – urgent (immediate voice) – alternative voices (not mainstream) – punk – relatable – disruptive – reflective – collages – text + image (or one of the two) She also gave us a handout for us to access these ourselves from the UAL Library Resource online. Having done many online Library inductions I found this way more effective in person. Effective – Enriching – Educative
Joanne – Plant Based Interactivity Demonstration of Conductive = Programmable Interactive Installation – touch the plant and the plant says, “stop that”. Conductive materials can be programmed using Arduino – water, metal, plants, conductive inks, yarns and fabrics. Joanne made this so accessible and simple to understand. This was definitely a ‘wow’ object. *Resources – bareconductive.com – Ain’t I a Woman, Bell Hooks
Sarah Masters
Bow Tie Instructions – Learning through Doing
This was a very calm session that felt very nurturing. We all had a go at a complex skill (me helping Sebastian and Joanne (because you can’t tie a bow-tie with one hand). She spoke about the relevance of the accessory in the film industry. I had never imagined people would be looking in this detail for continuity issues in film. There have been complaints to OFCOM about ties being tied right in one shot and from the left in the next!
Sarah Leontovitsch
Writing Alternative Text – Learning through Doing
Sarah started this exercise by giving us a postcard each. In pairs we had to describe the image to our partner for them to guess what it was. We were then asked to read the back of the postcard for contextual information on the image. By not being able to see the image and having to guess what it was from the description put us in the position of knowing what it feels like when you don’t have access to the visual. It made us empathise with this position. How does context change/alter the description. What does it add? This was a very powerful exercise as without context we see and describe things as we relate to them. We then had to make an attempt at writing alternative text. Not easy. It takes effort to make something inclusive. Parity in descriptions takes practice and training.
Michelle
Zines – Learning by Showing and Making
She then showed us how we could make a simple template for a zine and either draw/write on the template or use existing material to make a zine. I used a page from a magazine and it was amazing how beautifully you can read parts of the advertisement once folded. This is definitely an exercise to build on in class with my students.
Sebastian May
Speed Making This was one of my favourite microteaches! Sebastian’s object was a cup that he has had for a very long time. It once used to have his name on it but now it’s just white with a gold rim. Chance or Choice We were asked to pick one or more of the following ways to respond to the physical object: dance – storytelling – photograph – film – curation – collage – screen-writing – poetry – decoupage – wild card (your choice) The outcomes were fascinating! Carole made her zine using inspiration from the cup. Asuf made a film which was a self-portrait from filming the inside of the cup, Laura wrote a lovely poem in Estonian and Michelle wrote a curated note for the cup if it were to reside in a museum.
I used photography to make notes to myself about the cup using other objects as prompts. Drink less coffee – Talk to a friend while drinking tea – Carry your own cup to eliminate disposable cups. What a wonderful way to remember that it’s easy and quick to make work with a simple prompt. There was an exhibition of artworks around one object right in the room that was created in 20 minutes!
Laura Linsi
Thresholds in Spatial Design – Mindfulness – What contributes to how you feel? I examined the threshold between the stairs and the corridor leading to the 14th floor of the Tower Block at LCC. *Resources – Figures, Doors, Passages – Robin Evans – Niriguchi – crawling entrance to a tea house
Asuf Ishaq
Asuf brought in a candle holder he bought from a souvenir shop at a historic site in Pakistan. We discussed the origin the object (or rather we made calculated guesses about where it might be from, where iit might have been made, what was the significance of it to the site and what it means to him. We all drew the object. My drawing was not good but that was not the point of the exercise so in that spirit I share it here. Drawing made us contemplate the form of the object. I observed that the form had an interesting logic to its form. The object was closed when there was light and would open when there was a need for light – contrary to the movement and response of a flower.