Untitled No.1

Zine: Micro-gallery _WORKSHOP

How can we teach art education in schools?

In order to develop the design and application of our activity, first, we needed to identify the characteristics of art workshops for children, and how it could be applied in schools. These identifiers were:

Introducing artists, mediums, materials... Overall show the meaning art and art culture has in society. - exploration and reinterpretation -

The importance of kid’s art. Kid’s art has the same value as any other art, can be exposed, analyzed and enjoyed equally as art made by adults.

Nowadays’ issues and working with gender perspective.

Cross-curricular (historical time, social issues, perception of space...)

After listing these key concepts, we decided to design a workshop with two objectives,

To present artists and art movements; and to introduce the concept of “zine” (a small self published booklet) as a tool for social change.

To allow kids to create a tangible object that they can look back at and be proud of.

The workshop will consist of four main steps,

Presenting “zine” as a concept. - concept and context, cross-curricular with social and cultural sciences - 

Give information sheets of artists and techniques. - local art, women’s art, historical art and revindicative art -

Time for sharing, encouraging a shared safe space. - discussion and peer help - 

The creation of the individual product, but always keeping in mind the collective experience. 

Poster _PERFORMANCE

The Magic Forest: Dwarves

The art process of the creation of the poster, started by identifying the main characters, the two Tall Dwarves and the two Short ones, along with the bard playing the music. It was decided that, as the bard was the common thread, it would be represented by a ribbon of colorful notes. A flowing pentagram connecting the two parts in conflict. The underlying conflict was represented by the characters' expressions and the ravine between them.  

Finally the colorfulness of the poster aims to create a fantasy ambiance and foreshadow the happy ending. 

What is Sound Art? _SOUND ARTS

What would you do if you couldn’t see or touch art? Sound art proposes a different way to experience art: by listening to it. 

We are completely surrounded by sounds: music, sounds, yells, voices, melodies, nature... From the noise of cars passing below our window, to our mother’s voice or a jingle in a commercial, we live in a noisy world.

Sound can be primal, modify and interact with our emotions, in fact, it’s used this way in almost all audiovisual productions we consume, so, why not use it as the primary media and source of artistic intent in art? 

Sound artists are a diverse group, and use diverse methods and media.

Cesc Gelabert _BODY ARTS

The Body and Education

Cesc Gelabert is a Spanish choreographer specializing in contemporary dance. His views of the unity of the body, mind and how to use dance to achieve it, have an important role in pedagogy.

He believes that dance is a transversal phenomena, it englobes the body, the mind and emotions. Dance deals with the holistic view of ourselves as whole individuals, to dance we need to recognize more than just our body.

All of us experience day to day movements for specific situations, and dance should be the one situated in the artistic realm, thus dancing is an art when we perceive it as a conscious action. 

The cultural background of dance can be used educationally. The connection with the two dimensions, the body and the psyche, is transversal: speech, understanding of math by the perception of space, colors... 

William Kentridge _VISUAL ARTS

That Which is Not Drawn

William Kentridge is a South African contemporary artist, known for his works in theater, drawings and audiovisual productions. 

The artist uses audiovisual media as the tool to develop his short movies. The nature of old school animation allows him to showcase each frame as a unit of the whole set; while music is not the main protagonist, it helps create the emotional rhythm of the narrative. The process of creation is straightforward, there’s no previous study, the process drives the artistic continuity and artwork. 

Kentridge states that drawings are the basis from which everything originates, the velocity of creation of the charcoal drawings give him the ability to be quick at producing and erasing art for the animation sequences. 

Storyboard _PERFORMANCE

“Inside the magical forest, one of the groups that lives there are the proud and stubborn Dwarves.”

“Among Dwarves, there are two main groups that are at odds with one another: The Tall Dwarves and the Short Dwarves. The Tall Dwarves are hard workers and are exploited by the Short dwarves due to their height which is too much for dwarf standards.

Carrie Mae Weems _PERFORMANCE EXHIBIT

Lincoln, Lonnie and Me

The video-installation called “Lincoln, Lonnie and Me” represents the relationship between the artist, US history (represented as the President Lincoln), and the activist Lonnie Graham. The video shows us the relationship of Americana with her experience as a woman, particularly a black woman. 

Cinthia Marcelle _PERFORMANCE EXHIBIT

A Conjunction of Factors

As a video-photo-installation artist, Marcelle uses the space as a tool to transform and at the same time as the transformation tool.

On the on-site installation at MACBA, the most commonly used materials by the artist are wood, fabric, paper and dirt. The natural environment is used on the videotaped off-site performances; it is used as a canvas, being mutated into the desires and expectations of the artist. Water is used, dirt is the pigment and the human activity the brush. However, this natural environment is not free of human activity, and has previously been transformed, the existing materials have experienced a change and continue to be changed into new things. 

The transformation of space and the continued connection between materials is the common theme of Marcelle’s work “A Conjunction of Factors”. The usage of materials is contextualized into the experience, its meaning is intrinsically linked with the person who has manipulated it or worked in the space. Therefore, creating a unique development in which the dynamics of class, race and hierarchies in society are seen. 

Our preferred artwork is "The Family in disorder”. Consisting of two interconnected spaces and showing parallelisms in which the social dynamics of the different people living and working in the space are readily present. We liked that aspect because of the sheer difference between the rooms, as it allowed us to appreciate the details and differences. 

Maria Teresa Hincapié _PERFORMANCE EXHIBIT 

If This Were a Beginning of Infinity

The artist transforms the ordinary and domesticity of homework into an artistic expression. The apparent simplicity of chores being observed, the passing existence in society, is transmuted into an outward expression of rebellion and a window of what it means to be a woman, and the unique and imposed experiences that come with it.

Hincapié proposes a visibility of the invisible, as a feminist statement she creates a space with her own body, retaking the imposed and traditionally feminine experiences. She utilizes her womanhood as the political tool to create and mold, making the viewer, who may not previously experienced it, a participant; not just seeing, but experiencing.

The daily performance serves to reinforce the ideas common in her work: the monotony of the patriarchy for women, visibility, touch and experience, and overall the revindication of feminist ideals and objectives. The artwork that most resonated with us and links these ideas is exemplified in “Vitrina” (Store Window) 1989/2022. We chose this intervention due to the message she wanted to perform and the way she communicated it.

MACBA_

Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art

The Meier Building was built between 1991 and 1995, as part of Barcelona’s efforts to better the existing contemporary art museum, and prepare the city and the Old Quarter for the 1992 Olympic Games. The design reminiscence of Le Corbusier, evokes an open space, utilitarian in design that you can walk up and encourages discovery.

At first glance it seemed an unconnected construction, a neo-futuristic stance on art in the heart of an aging old quarter of an old historical city. Seemed too abrupt, too demanding, in the imbalance of a neighborhood that had a previous and ongoing unfavorable reputation in the city, a neighborhood that didn’t want it to occupy more space and a museum that was closing on itself, turning its back on the community it occupied.

The architectural design of the building was clearly in contrast to the neighborhood; the outside space, imagined as a walking plaza, had been repurposed as a makeshift skating park, with mostly young people making use of it; the back plaza was equally constructed of cement and angular lines. The neighborhood's perception of it was divided, it could be seen in the people occupying the space (lack of families and prevalence of young people and tourists in the plaza), at the same time pamphlets showed interest in the modernization of the area and the economical revival. The museum had a clear conscience on social activism and justice, expositions on feminism, BIPOC artists, first nations art... The gift shop was full of books of left leaning political ideologies, many manifestos and dissertations on how to better our world. Furthermore, its agenda was neighborhood integration, free activities for kids and adults alike.

Hiroshi Sugimoto _OBJECT/PHOTO/IMAGE

Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese architect, conceptual artist and photographer. His conceptual art focuses on the idea of time and uses photography as the medium. His work allows us to see the preparatory process of art, how we have to observe, imagine and relate to create, he prepares us with a different way to make art. 

How can we show a concept? In his theater photos by modifying the shutter speed, he can capture the final results: A bright white screen regardless of the movie, showing the nothingness of the overwhelm of information. 

Ana Mendieta _GENDER AND FEMINISM

Ana Mendieta was a Cuban-born body and land artist. Her artwork is a series of interventions blurring the lines between the body and land art. Documentation of her work, either by her or her associates was key to her artwork, as the on-site interventions were private and ephemeral phenomena. 

5X5X5=Creativity _CREATIVITY FOR KIDS

5X5X5=Creativity is a research initiative developed in England in the year 2000, since then it has been used by numerous schools and education centers. This pedagogical initiative aims to use the intrinsic ability and drive of children for research and inquiry, using art and mentor artists as the main framework.

Using art as a tool for developing kids’ awareness of the modern world, allows the community creation of an environment in which kids can freely investigate, collaborate and stimulate their imagination, as well as their critical thought.

Robert Smithson _LAND ART

Robert Smithson was an American artist and sculptor, active during the 60’s and 70’s, he is considered one of the pioneers and most influential artists of the land art movement. He is best known for his artwork Spiral Jetty, exemplifying his ideas regarding the construction of Land Art. 

Built on the shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, Spiral Jetty consists of a spiral of rocks, mud and salt entering the waters and resting on the lakebed. The ideas of change of scenery away from the Gallery scene, were experimented in Land Art, the vastness of the natural world was used by Smithson as the means of showing the mid-point between us, nature and the changes it experiences.

Chema Madoz _HYBRID

The photography of Chema Madoz presents us with the creations of stories and the poetry within the commonality of objects we could find in our daily lives. Madoz uses the hybridization of these objects to create new units that transmit different feelings: From initial confusion, passing through detailed observation to finally understanding why the two objects have been put together and why they do make sense.

Andy Goldsworthy _NATURE ART

Andy Goldsworthy is a Scotland-based, English born, land artist. His works are best known for using found materials in nature and the use of color.

His artwork is characterized by his ideas of looking at the world and there forth, looking at art: “You can walk on the path, or you can walk through the hedge”. He looks for a different way at walking or merely looking in our environment, his artworks create a clarity in the randomness of the natural world, searching for another way to interact with it.

Goldsworthy, creates works that are ephemeral by their own nature, over time the natural world wind, water, rain... reclaims them all. The fragile structures are a balance of the materials, oftentimes collapsing under their own weight or being blown away by the wind. For him being a small participant in the cycle of the elements, the erosion of stones, the decomposition of leaves, the cycle of water... is key.

Drawing Nature _URBANISM AND NATURE

Drawing Nature aims to represent the relationship and interaction of manmade and natural objects. It shows a human figure sitting among the the trees sketching this same premise and also trying to capture a shared space of architectural and natural elements on campus.

Color was the challenge during this activity, I kept adding more and more layers of dark and drab colors, the shapes began to become blobs and the ethereality of watercolors began to disappear. Thankfully after teacher’s advice, and taking a break from it, I was able to define it better.