Week 4 in the Year 1 Neighbourhood – Artists in Residence

 

Instead of you going really fast when you can’t focus on things, it’s going a bit slower and it helps you to have a look at it and notice more things. Claudia I

This beautiful observation was in response to work the children have been engaged in with artist in residence, dance teacher Toni Yap. The children have been exploring the idea of slow motion in dance classes with Toni. The children moved in real time, but Toni recorded them in slow motion. Together we viewed the videos back – the children in slow, languid moves in contrast to how they were actually moving when recorded. The children were thoroughly absorbed and engaged by this.  We asked the children to share their observations and Claudia’s observation gave us a piece of gold.

Children made meaningful connections between this observation and the learning they are experiencing in other spaces and other provocations, with one child noting in response to slowing down “It’s like when I am in the studio doing Still Life, that helps me with my concentration.”

Moving forward, we are looking at ways to link our movement provocation with Tony with artist in residence photographer Darren James – to use photos as a way to capture moments of slowing down. The children have been asked to bring along to school an image that reflects a moment in time so that we can explore the story behind the image.