In September 2016, I suspended the usual set of timetabled lessons in my studio at school. Instead, we worked with the Architecture department, Zoology and the Geography Department from Northumbria University to develop a Charette week.
During the week my studio became a mapping space, a project space and an experimental classroom where rich learning based on mapping ideas took place.
I was inspired to do this by attending Summer School at Tate Modern where over a week of the summer holidays 2016, the sessions were given by artists and curators. I developed the programme through having built up a close relationship with Northumbria University where I completed the MA in Fine Art and Education. For the last five years we have also been hosting Architecture Workshops run by Sebastian Messer and the MArch fifth year Architecture students from Northumbria University.
Here is Mike Jeffries and the new year seven students. They are responding to the idea of the Marshall Islands Stick Charts. They are making their own navigational charts from sticks, the stones and shells represent things that remain stable in their lives, the sticks represent the things that change.
This shows our sound mapping workshop where students made their own contact microphones with Sound Artist Adam Goodwin and mapped the ambient sounds of the studio…and themselves.
This session was all about maps and power. Jon Swords showed us that maps can be made by anyone and that the maps we are used to seeing are not necessarily accurate depictions of our world! We made new maps incorporating things we think are important about our city.
Artist Ben Jones and Jessica Dolby helped us question maps and mapping. Ben showed us ways to use the smart board and to look at Google Maps of the spaces we know well and use frequently.
Jessica worked with Psychogeography and our school site. We installed a series of drawings on the site of our soon to be demolished swimming pool.
Sebastian Messer showed us a large map of our city and we assembled a huge collage showing the places we use and those we avoid. He talked us through some ideas about cultural probes and asked us to think about mapping in words and drawings as well as collages.
Drawings and charts explore our worlds and we recorded ideas into our Visual Diaries.
Changing the school day was amazing and we were so fortunate to have funding from Juice Festival and Northumbria University Architecture Department, Zoology and Geography Departments support for this project!
Everyone benefitted and enjoyed working in new ways!
artistteachercef 