#josephianartprogramme

In one lesson, reimagine a boring flight of stairs and create a 3D staircase sculpture. It may not lead to anywhere...

This exercise was adapted from RISD’s professor, Clara Lieu’s 3D staircase sculpture assignment.

And of course, I underestimated the time they needed to complete this. They couldn’t finish in one lesson so it was completed as homework. We did a vote the following week for, “Most Dynamic”, “Most Stable”, “Most Innovative” staircase design and further discussed why. I commended those that showed good craftsmanship and those whose work look interesting from all angles. 

Lesson objective: Explore paper manipulation, start to turn something 2D into 3D to express an idea.

Warm-up: As a class, fold, crinkle, roll the paper in 60 different ways. 

This was quite fun for them. There should have been a better follow-up activity. Maybe choose one technique as a UNIT to repeat and create a PATTERN.

Instead, I did this... I got them to work in groups to respond to a random sculpture using the Beginning.. Middle... End... routine: Imagine the sculpture shows either a B/M/E of a story, what will be the story? Create a 3D form to express a key scene or feeling of the story. Didn’t work!

Big Problems I had to address in the subsequent lessons: 

1. Students only know how to use literal/ figurative representation.

2. Did not consider multiple viewpoints when designing

3. Poor construction skills.

Inspired by Brancusi’s Sleeping Muse. I don’t have record of the stories! 

Inspired by Ng Eng Teng’s Freedom Child

So! To scaffold, I demonstrated paper sculpture techniques. We also did a lesson on balance and repetition. They created a toothpick sculpture in groups to show symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial balance. They dismantled the works before I could take a good picture! A lot of frustration with white glue. 

All in all, I’m glad there were a lot of hands-on making with found materials. We got the scissors, penknife, hot glue gun, scouring and misc. skills sorted. 

top to bottom: Taemin (no. of times I played bball and with whom), Roshan (avg high & low temp in Singapore), Ryan (no. of times I sneeze and types), Aidan (emotions felt throughout the week)

top to bottom: Edmund (what I ate), Bryant (types of pain), Evan (emotions throughout the week)

top: Mark (frequency and smell of farts), bottom: Yu Jian (no. of hours I studied and intensity)

Intro to 3D: Final Assignment - Data Sculpture - 4 weeks x 1 lesson x 1.5 h

Elegant Art Task:

Create a freestanding abstract sculpture that is based on a set of data from your personal life using one material of your choice. You may explore different shapes, sizes and colours to communicate your ideas. Your sculpture must show repetition and balance. 

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This assignment was inspired by a video I watched about data artist, Nathalia Meinbach. She translates weather data into playful looking 3-D sculptures.

First, I checked student’s prior knowledge and asked questions using Chalk Talk routine: (i) what is data? (ii) who wants/needs/uses it (iii) what for? (iii) where and how are they presented?

The routine was new to them but it was important that they were given time to think about this before I introduce something new.  

Then, we discussed data-inspired artworks - Meinbach’s weather sculptures, Ang Song Nian’s Hang Heavy on My Eyes and the Dear Data project. Good points raised:

- data visualization help us see pattern and identify trends

- data presented in the artworks are not as accurate and more difficult to read then the conventional representations, so why did the artist want to do this? 

- some disagreed because colours and shapes make data more exciting and less intimidating/boring.

It was interesting for me that the Dear Data project least engaged them. The video I chose was too long (7 min?). I am not sure if they could see that the sharing of everyday information between two designers form a kind of personal story. 

Next, in groups, they went to the canteen to take sample data and tried to represent it in an abstract manner. I had to make sure they know how to create data visualization because that was their homework, in preparation for their own sculpture. The rest of the weeks were studio time for completion. We had no time for a critique - but I should have done an online one since I had good photo documentation!!!

Reflection:

This lesson was fun for me to plan as the topic was current and I got to select interesting contemporary works to share. I realised that doing a quick activity to check prior knowledge is also a good investment of time - often we jump straight into the topic we’re teaching and students don’t instinctively connect what they’re learning to what is outside the classroom.