Meeting with June, Evaluation, discuss Ideas, Decide on masks

Meeting with June

During the Meeting with June today she looked through my ideas, and although she liked most of them, she explained that the school would not cater to things that are too progressive or out of character. They have a very simple approach to making and a tight budget that wouldn't stretch to using camera-less photography methods, film work or standard photography. She picked out mask making, and creating tudor purses as favoured Ideas to work on further. 
I will research elizabethan masques, the origins and connotations etc, then simplify this to put toward a design technology handbook for the children to work in outlining objectives and design proposals etc.

Evaluation

This meeting gave me the feeling that I should consider teaching in a high school more seriously. The limited resources and approaches may be something that I find doesn't provide enough of a challenge later on in my career. I would enjoy teaching using a wider range of materials and techniques.


However, for the mean time, research mask making, contemporary and modern approaches etc, are there any exhibitions on etc 

Also, research tudor portraits for the two weeks at the end of the workshops on masks...

visit galleries etc with tudor portraits
or historic houses etc...

elizabethan houses? burleigbh house was elizabethan wasnt it?? visit there again?




on the subject of masks, how do i tie this in with my own work?

If we begin with the knowledge that one of the most frequent words used in the works of shakespeare, is "dream". A dominant theme throughout his works is the opposition of fantasy and reality, and often, the confusion of the two.
This career long fascination is summed up when the wizard prospero, in shakespeares fantasy play "the tempest" , utters what was to be shakespeares most famous quote re: dreams, perhaps the most of all time.
" we are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep"

Masks explore the notion of fantasty versus reality in that we as reality inhabit them as a character thus becoming a fantasy or fiction.

Equally during the elizabethan times, masks were used dominantly in the theatre and also during balls, for entertainment and disguise etc. 
Children can choose whether they want to be directly inspired by the play, perhaps creating something in line with the fairies, or they can just create an ornate elizabethan inspired mask.

Developed workshop Ideas/plans

Workshop Ideas based on the theme "A Midsummer Nights Dream" by William Shakespeare 

I will be taking these plans to June on Monday the 14th of December. We will discuss how the projects can be divided or shared among the children, whether they will be doing individual or group work in each session and how that may work. How I will tackle issues that could arise such as problematic behaviour or unexpected responses, errors in my planning or something that just doesn't seem to be working out.

See below ideas/workshops and examples

Some of the more "crafty" work might be more suited for the younger groups, seeing as there is a significant element of tactile, visual qualities to the material. Where film, cutting and chemical processing may be suited more to older children. However all activities can be adapted to cater for different abilities.

Mask making

What we would need 

- Template masks, paper mache. - sourced at £1 each from Range stores"

- Paint/colour

- Glitter/embellishments

- skeleton leaves/leaf presses etc

- lollipop sticks

- Glue

- Scissors
- Wire
- fabric

Body adornment/headdresses/crowns - Inspired by fairy kings and queens

What we would need 

- Leaves, sticks, natural materials, cones etc

- cardboard cut into strips

- Glue/staples

- Glitter/sequins/embellishments 

Box theatres

What we would need 

- boxes brought in from home

- Glue/scissors

- lollipop sticks

- craft materials and papers

- glitters/embellishments/ribbons

- old magazines 

Combination wall display

Children can choose to create a piece from a variety of options based around the theme. Scrolls, Theatres, portraits, word/letter/language association, masks, flowers, characters etc. All can be presented as one large display.

What we would need 

- Large range/combination of all mentioned materials.

To add a unique and more dynamic touch, the pieces could be suspended from a large horizontal dream-catcher in order to create a more imaginative, surreal,  and sculptural installation piece.

Creating flowers to be used as part of a larger scale installation including other elements of the story, such as fairies, stars/moons, donkey heads, scrolls, characters (any creations that remind the children of the story)

Camera-less photography

May be better suited to older children.

Using developing solutions and dark space/enlargers etc to create surreal images that reflect the poetry in Shakespeare's writing through black and white contrasts and scale distortions. In addition the process has an element of mystery magic to it that reflects the theme.

Issues arise here however from the use of materials and the ability to facilitate the process. are the chemicals safe to use around children? etc

What we would need

- Dark space

- Developer

- access to running water

- trays

- enlarger/light source

By all means, children could create the work in a darkened space, then I can then carefully transport it to a professional dark space and develop it personally. 

The children could select a variety of objects and Items to be used in the process which they associate with the theme, we could create silhouettes, use flowers and other imagined items to make the work relelvent to the theme in content.

Cyanotypes

Another type of camera-less photography that could be far more easily applied in the primary school environment. All prep work can be done by myself and children can be given a wide range of objects and items that could be associated with the theme, they can then use the magic power of light to create beautiful surreal images influenced by A midsummer nights dream. Presentation could be as simple as mounting the complete images. while the overall process would be something the children most likely wouldn't have experienced before and is simple yet interesting and engaging enough for most ages to find appealing.

What would we need 

- Cyanotype fluids

- High quality/heavy GSM/water colour paper

- associated objects and items for light blocking

- Natural daylight

Shadow theatres

Again playing on the poetry and romance between light and shadows, these simple yet beautiful shadow theatres could be really stimulating and interesting for the children, and for all ages. I would photograph or film the children's creations and present as moving video/projections or still images in a designated area within the school, and or speak to local libraries to see if they would be interested in hosting the children's work as part of a literature/art exhibition for children.

What we would need 

- Large sheets of translucent paper

- Black card

- very thin/rigid wire and or sticks

- bright light source

- recording/photographic equipment (I will provide)

- Individual boxes brought from home (if making individual ones)

As in the above image, if the paper/sheet was big enough, the children's shadows could also be incorporated, in the process of making the paper shadow puppets we could make masks that distort and change the natural features to create a surreal and character based show.

Pinhole photography

Paper cutting or silhouette light box/shadow boxes/static

Children could choose from a wide variety of precut silhouettes, to then layer and create scenes.

Miniature portraits

During the Elizabethan era, in terms of Art, portraiture was a favoured painting style, particularly in miniature form. Based on this, children could be prompted to create portraits of each other, which can then be presented in miniature frames and hung on a wall in a way that reflects the time.

Alternatively, the portraits could be transferred into embroidery, another popular art form at the time, but this may incur a high cost. Another option could be that the children create line portraits on acetate, which I can then combination project to create a surrealist/contemporary light based piece.