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Posts Tagged ‘teaching children’

Exploring perspective in photography, Slinkachu style

18 July 2011

As part of last week’s Art Week, (a series of Art Workshops I ran alongside my very talented colleague Kathy Mason – more to come on those soon), I took a class of 30 year 2 pupils for a digital photography experience. The children in this group are still very young and attention spans are relatively short so I planned for short bursts of fun activity with quick results.

I introduced the class to the work of Slinkachu – a favourite artist of mine who creates unlikely street scenes using tiny scale models. The children were enthralled from the very beginning and very enthusiastic. I’d ordered a selection of models more usually seen in architectural prototypes and armed with pockets full of these, we set out to change the school grounds into the land of the giants… The results were truly wonderful. Imagination is limitless when you are 7 and I spent the morning surrounded by that x 30.  Pure delight all round.

Perhaps my favourite shots of the day were courtesy of Stanley, the best stomper in the class whose shadow I captured about to squish the teeny tiny people. Obviously a herd of such ‘monsters’ then ensued but this remained the most inspired shot of the morning.


A drop in a ‘Rubbish’ Ocean…

30 November 2010

Continuing the theme of recycling rubbish to make art, I ran an Art workshop with a group of 28 year 2 children (aged 6 to 7 years old) last week where we created an entire ocean out of recycled domestic ‘rubbish’ and then filled it with beautiful squished tin can and bubble wrap sea creatures. The final piece measured around 1.5m square and consisted of three panels.

The children were split into two teams. One team worked on the background, where they collaged together blue and green food packaging and old fabric and wool, to create the watery scenery, whilst the other team used acrylic paints to cover squashed drinks cans, and cut out painted bubble wrap for the fins / tentacles of their creatures. The two teams swapped roles half way through so that every child could feel that they had contributed to every part of the final picture. With a hefty dose of leftover ’sparkly bits’, donated by a local shoe designer, the whole piece was ready to hang …and I have to say, looked absolutely stunning.