artistteachercef

‘Manifesto for the city’

Mapping the city; looking around us, investigating spaces and meaning.

What is the project?

Architecture/Art/Geography collaborative project, building on the success of the annual Architecture Schools Workshop hosted by RGS Art Department and Baltic 39, in collaboration with Northumbria University MArch students and lecturers. This year the project has funding from Juice Festival 2015 and 2016 as well as Northumbria University and will include input from Geography Lecturers and Artists who specialise in ‘location’ as a theme in their work. The aim of the project is to provide a series of innovative, inspiring opportunities for our students to invent and communicate creative responses to the idea of developing a young persons’ ‘Manifesto’ for Newcastle/Gateshead.

 

 

The project

Supporting young people to make ambitious, creative responses to their city with a focus on developing a young person’s ‘Manifesto for the City.’

A year- long experimental project, funded by the Juice Festivals 2015 and 2016 (Arts festival for young people) Project empowers young people to respond creatively to Newcastle upon Tyne/ Gateshead as a location. The project is supported by teachers, from initially two schools on the pilot project, and by lecturers from Northumbria University and Contemporary Artists whose work investigates the idea of ‘location’. At the heart of the project is the chance for young people to collaborate with professional Artists, Architects, Designers, Lecturers and their peers; young people studying in the city.

 

Project is driven by the intention to equip the students with strategies and frameworks, investigate the relevance of the city to them; looking at the locations that have meaning and potential. These strategies are drawn from methods used by Architects, Artists, City Planners and other professional urban innovators.

Artists working with the project during the year will reflect different approaches; dancers, sound artists, app designers, photographers as well as artists who deliberately work across different new media. We are looking to work with Juice Festival to identify the most innovative and exciting collaborative possibilities.

We want to connect creative activity to STEM skills; we want to support the creative use of digital moving image, software skills, engagement with design and engineering language and concepts. Northumbria University are leading the project through their departments of Environment and Engineering and Arts Design and Social Science. They are keen to work in contexts that bring interdisciplinary practice to life.

Overview of project;

• This project builds on the success of Architecture Schools Workshop, now in its third year, last year it was hosted at RGS. The Architecture Schools Workshop Project was offered to GCSE and sixth form prospective Architects/Artists on three Saturdays and four evenings. Run by Sebastian Messer, MArch students in their 5th year at Northumbria University and facilitated by Christine Egan-Fowler.
• The project was well attended, even on cold winter days and evenings! Lots of strong reciprocal learning. Active opportunities to connect the ‘live’ city with ideas.
• Strong recording of the sessions provided evidence of the deep learning that took place. Recorded in student blogs, Northumbria Architecture Workshop blog.
• Has made a positive impact on Art School portfolios. Photos of collaborative activities, different approaches and working methods. Concepts and critical dialogue explored with rigour.
• This project has really made a huge impact on our students’ ability to secure good offers from top courses in Architecture (Northumbria, Cambridge, Liverpool, Bath, Sheffield, Edinburgh…)
• Involvement in Northumbria/ BALTIC Symposia and discussions at Saturday sessions has really pushed the academic engagement of our students and developed confidence and experience of presenting ideas.
• The workshops have offered 20 students per year a range of learning opportunities; practical skills, specialist vocabulary and the chance to work with a network of post graduate students who have been inspirational.
• Working with other schools has been important for our students; an opportunity to meet talented peers.
• Architectural walks and walking /drawing workshops enable our students to connect theories of city planning, design and political /social history with practical walking and drawing tours.
• This ‘Mapping the City’ project 2015/16 broadens our offer to Geographers, Historians, Writers as well as promoting practical connections with STEM subjects. Funding enables us to recruit more / wider variety of artists onto the programme.

‘I am ambitious for our students. I want them to have ‘live’ learning opportunities; to work collaboratively with innovative artists and designers and to have public recognition for the richness of their ideas and opinions.’

Christine Egan-Fowler. Artist/Art Teacher. RGS.

 

Who will be involved

Sebastian Messer, Northumbria University, Architecture Department. Senior lecturer

Jon Swords, Northumbria University. Geography

Mike Jeffries, Northumbria University. Geography.

• At RGS during the week Monday 14^th September to Friday 18^th September 2015, 3 Northumbria University Lecturers (Architecture, Geography) and RGS students from year 7 through to year 13 will take part in a week of hour long workshops during their timetabled Art lessons in CEF studio 236. It is envisaged that this will be largely constructed as an ongoing ‘charrette.’

 

• This model worked well for the Baltic ARTMIX project last year where CEF studio became a creative hub for workshops and discussions.
• A series of practical activities and discussions on the theme of ‘Mapping the City.’ Lecturers will talk about how Geographers and Architects map their locations, they will explore creative mapping tasks, a plenary session at the end of each workshop will enable reflections on learning and the possibilities for independent works at a later date.

• Saturday sessions with Artists ; Ben Jones (Saturday 19^th September)

 

• Jessica Dolby (Saturday 3^rd October)
• Work from all of these active sessions will be showcased for public viewing at the Juice Festival 2015 at The Core, Science City. Video, photographs and the students’ work will be curated by the teachers and lecturers.
• Saturday sessions have 20 places and are open to all students, Sixth Form students interested in Art /Architecture/Urban Geography will have priority.
• Practical Saturday sessions will take place at RGS /Baltic/Baltic 39 and in various urban locations during the year.
• RGS Staff interested in mapping activities and Architecture, Art and Geography will be invited to take part in and / or observe in the initial mapping week and in subsequent Saturday activities during the year.

Academics;

Sebastian Messer, Northumbria University, Architecture Department. Senior lecturer.

Jon Swords, Northumbria University. Geography.

Mike Jeffries, Northumbria University. Geography.

Teachers:

Christine Egan-Fowler, RGS, Artist / teacher.

Louise Marley, Walker Academy, Geography teacher.

Artists :

Ben Jones. Benwell Projects.

Jessica Dolby. Mapping/Environmental Artist

Adam Goodwin Sound Artist

Other artists tbc for sessions as part of Juice Festival.

 

Methods and timings;

• September/October 2015 ; Pilot project .

A week of sessions taking place in RGS; each session develops discussion,new skills and frameworks. Theme words embrace a wealth of dialogue. Working titles for the sessions are; Mapping, Ethno-Geography, Sustainability, Palimpsest, Location and Meaning.

Two Saturday Artist sessions enable students to work in more depth and to connect City walks with their ideas. Each Saturday session will be 10 am until 1.30pm at RGS. Snacks will be provided.

• Artists Ben and Jessica will be working with students on Saturday workshops. Students have opportunity to produce their own responses to the city and build on these ideas in school.

 

• Pop up activities including Young Makers Show and ARTMIX at Baltic may use some of the work produced.

 

Works will be curated into a public exhibition to be shown at Juice Festival and in RGS and at our partner school, Walker Technology College.

October 26^th-30^th 2015; Showcase exhibition on show to public. Juice Festival. Science City

• December 2015 –June 2016
• Artists working with students on Saturday workshops; investigating the city. Students produce their own responses and start to develop their manifesto, supported by key players and Artists.
• Pop up activities including tours, young makers show, ARTMIX, work experience opportunities with Juice Festival partners on Saturday mornings at Baltic and RGS.
• Exhibiting new work in public spaces; in both schools, University spaces and at Late Shows, Holy Biscuit. May/June 2016. Evening presentation of project at RGS. (date tbc)
• Radio programme pitch to Radio 4 using footage from year -long project exploring the sensory aspects of exploring and experiencing the urban environment.
• Artist /Teacher Christine Egan-Fowler intends to connect this project with her work about memory, collecting and archiving accounts of connections with a particular place or activity.

 

How will this be evaluated?

Students will be asked for feedback in Vox Pop about their own reactions to their learning. Exhibition will give project a public student voice.

Follow up work in school will be primed with rich input. Students own responses will be seen in sketchbooks and portfolios.

Students’ performance will be celebrated with a presentation occasion at RGS and at Northumbria University about the impact of learning during the year long project. Date tba.

Students will have a rich and innovative body of work to draw upon for further study, portfolio and for sixth formers; use on their UCAS form.

Collaborative and new learning pathways will enhance what we already offer at RGS. New vocabulary is actively supporting critical and creative dialogue. This will be reflected in students presenting their ideas and annotations in sketchbooks and transfer across to their other subjects, activities and class work.

Working with artists and lecturers bridges the worlds of school/work/university. Students confident in talking about future career ambitions.

A rich learning experience and a reciprocal learning experience. Staff/Lecturers and Artists will be encouraged to share what they have learned from the project by keeping a journal and recording workshops on the RGS and Northumbria Architecture and Geography blogs.

Students from both schools will meet and work together at the Juice Festival as an open public event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Manifesto for the city’

Mapping the city; looking around us, investigating spaces and meaning.

 

 

 

 

 

Pilot project. Juice Festival 2015/2016

Northumbria University.

Royal Grammar School.

Walker Technology College.