Anisa Tahzib Thesis-Institute of Education-2013
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Transcript of Anisa Tahzib Thesis-Institute of Education-2013
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MA Art and Design in Education, Institute of Education, 2013
How can experiences and transitions of environment develop inherent
potential in Art and Design Education with its developing global cultural
connections and patterns?
I agree that the content of this thesis is made publically available
Anisa Tahzib, 2013, ‘Universal connections series’, Paint on canvas and projection.
Anisa Tahzib
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Abstract
In this thesis I will be analysing the connections and patterns formed in different
significant phases and transitions in my life reflected through my artwork and
educational experiences in different cultural, rural and urban contexts. I will also
critically examine the dynamic interrelationships between dialogue, action and
reflection processes in Art and Design Education in these diverse contexts.
Analysing experiences from my up-bringing in Africa and travels in different
places from China to Tonga. As well as analysing my experiences of teaching art
and design in different cultural contexts and settings from teaching in a small
island in Tonga to a multicultural city such as London.
I will be looking at common patterns and cultural connections of artists such as
Sharizeh Houshiary, Zineb Sedira and Zarina Bhimji. In particular looking at their
approach to making art, the themes in their thinking and making of their works of
art, life and environments in relation to how it effects the development of their
artwork and its wider implications to Art and Design Education.
I will be analysing my own practice as an artist and educator to understand how I
developed my visual language to develop inherent capacities from analysing my
educational experiences, looking at the transition from different phases of
Education as well as how culture and environment can effect development.
Examining my film practice in relation to capturing the transforming potential of
these learning environments, transitions and the complexities as to how potential
could be developed in different phases of Education and life. I will be using a
creative approach to film making, with a particular focus on cultural patterns and
their connections. As well as using metaphors to emphasize key learning during
these different phases of Education and life. I will be examining examples of
students work in Tonga and London, exploring and understanding more deeply as
to how they develop their visual language and how their inherent capabilities are
developed in these different contexts and environments to effect individual and
collective experience as well as identity. Finally analysing how these insights and
explorations have impacted me as an artist and educator and exploring its further
implications.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the tutors and staff at the Institute of Education for their
constant support, encouragement and guidance during the Masters programme as
well as my friends and family.
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Contents Page Page number
Title Page………………………………………………………………………………….1
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………2
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………….3
Introduction: A critical analysis of my experiences of developing patterns and its
further cultural global connections: context and background as an artist and
educator………………………………………………………………………………..5-12
A critical analysis of my educational experiences and observations in urban and
rural settings: Cultures and
transitions…………………………………………………………………………….12-18
A comparison of Teaching and educational learning experiences: London and
Tonga…………………………………………………………………………………18-23
Examining common patterns and cultural connections: artists and theorists
approach through experiences and transitions in life and
art..................................................................................................................................23-33
Conclusions: How have these insights and explorations impacted me as an artist and
educator, further
implications..................................................................................................................33-36
List of Figures………………………………………………………………………..37-38
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………….........39-41
Anisa Tahzib, 2013, photographic stills from film ‘Universal Patterns and Connections’.
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Introduction: A critical analysis of my experiences of developing patterns and
its further cultural global connections: context and background as an artist
and educator
Patterns with universal themes and cultural connections have been a recurring
visual language and thread that has run throughout my thinking and artwork. For
example, patterns formed in Iranian carpets, in architecture and distinct natural
patterns from nature in different environments such as Africa and the United
Kingdom provide inspiration and insight into the development of work as an artist
and educator. The content, colour and form of the patterns in these diverse
contexts symbolize universal and relatable global themes to people from different
cultures and backgrounds. For example, patterns of a blossom in Persian carpets
symbolize the season of spring and the colour red symbolizes courage, joy and
faith. These themes can start to form concepts and ideas in curriculum content,
such as identity and the environment.
Patterns can reflect in pieces of artwork each person’s inner and outer expressions
of their inherent creativity and potential with specific cultural connections. For
example, the colour green in the pattern of a lotus flower in Persian carpets
symbolizes the holy colour of the prophet Mohammed as well as spring, life and
hope. These outer expressions have inner significances and deeper meanings that
the creator of the piece of work has considered and that people from different
cultures can relate to. James Hall highlights that ‘Art and religion have always
had an intimate relationship and share a quest for meaning, purpose and direction
in life’ (2004: 144). This process of making and drawing on personal and cultural
connections develops insights into certain global themes such as identity and
belonging, developing qualities such as understanding and patience. These specific
cultural expressions can develop a person’s skills, abilities, perceptions and
potential to contribute to the betterment of society and create connections with
others at the same time.
It could be claimed that we each have unique and individual patterns of thoughts,
behaviours and interests. These could be based on our upbringing, education,
family heritages and cultures that can further contribute to rich and dynamic ways
of seeing and doing, to effect a positive change towards an organic flourishing on
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individual and collective consciousness and action. Knowledge of diverse cultures,
the learning that can be derived from their personal narratives shared provides
transforming learning experiences. Patterns can be found in architecture designs,
fabrics and in multidisciplinary work which I will explore and analyse the
personal narratives, purposes as well as potential that this can unravel individually
and to society.
Ensuring each pupil can reach and fulfil their unique and individual capacity is a
complex process that I will explore throughout the thesis. There is potency in the
use of dialogue and language as a means to understand, connect and relate to
others to higher levels of coherence and action. Each student has their own diverse
backgrounds, ways of expressing and exploring realities through Art and Design
as a starting point. As Rasheed Araeen mentions enrichment that can happen when
bringing together different cultures and backgrounds which can impact global
learning:
If human society comprises a multiplicity of diverse cultures,
then something must bring them together into a communion of
exchange for their mutual enrichment.
(in Addison and Burgess 2013:96)
Alain Badiou reinforces that ‘the task of education is to ‘arrange the forms of
knowledge in such a way that some truth may come to pierce a hole in them’
(2005: 9). The truths and knowledge that can be derived from various pieces of art
creates deeper connections and understanding of oneself and others. Nicholas
Addison highlights and builds on the evidence of the power of dialogue and
knowledge development in Art and Design, as well as the truths and realities that
it can convey to flourish individual potential, in relation to suitable conditions with
consideration of the implications on the individual and society:
…one that signals a dynamic and dialogical way of relating to
others and the environment, which can be developed by most
people given suitable social and pedagogic conditions.
(2010: 43)
The process of how inherent capacities can be developed through key interactions
in diverse settings and cultures for mutual development and transformation
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individually and to society will be explored in this thesis. Paulo Freire highlights
these important processes that can contribute to develop potential to people from
various cultures:
All human activity is understood as emerging from an
on-going interaction of reflection, dialogue, and action-namely
praxis-and as praxis, all human activity requires theory to illuminate
it and provide a better understanding of the world as we find it and as
it might be.
(in Freire, Ramos, 1993: 15)
Each student has latent potential and capacity, as a teacher knowing how to
nurture and unlock these hidden potentialities for each to reach their potential will
bring about positive and lasting change. Claire Robins in ‘Art, academe and the
language of knowledge’ quotes Nicholas Addison (2011) who shows the unique
qualities and susceptibilities of art to affect and transform the individual that
produces an array of different works of art:
It could be claimed that the work of art, in distinction from other forms
of human communication, is specifically organized as a constellation
of aesthetic and semantic invitations and provocations, the
primary purpose of which is to affect us…making and looking at works
of art is potentially a transformative event through which an
engagement with alterity (the other) motivates us to act
differently, whether that difference is cognitive, affective or conative in
its effects.
(in Addison and Burgess, 2013: 165)
Engaging in making of artworks is a unique and transforming process as the quote
suggests that brings about a change in thought, emotions and sincere effort. Self-
actualization, level of engagement in activities and motivation are important
concepts and ideas that can relate to the topic of releasing and fulfilling ones
inherent potential as well as relate to personal growth. Psychologist Abraham
Maslow’s theory of a hierarchy of needs and self-actualization highlights
important ideas about how to fulfil individual and inherent potential. Contrary to
other psychologists like Sigmund Freud who mentions adolescence as a period of
mental illness. Instead Abraham Maslow introduces a perspective that each person
has inherent potential and capacity that can be developed by fulfilling different
needs. According to an article written by Kendra Cherry (2013) self-actualization:
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…refers to the desire for self-fulfilment, namely…become actualized in what
he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to
become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is
capable of becoming.
Self-actualization and reaching ones potential are important to think about as
educators and artists to release and fulfil ones inherent potential and capabilities in
oneself and in others. The importance of taking into consideration the social
context, the influences of others who shape and change us and the shifting desires
that we may have are vital to be aware of furthermore. These include certain
characteristics of self-actualized people such as having realistic perceptions of
oneself, being able to solve complex problems ethically, spontaneity, a high level
of creativity, accepting oneself and others for what they are, independence and
viewing the world with awe and appreciation are some examples. Furthermore,
Saul Mcleod (2007) shares Abraham Maslow’s perspective about self-
actualization: ‘…a person is always “becoming” and never remains static in these
terms. In self-actualization a person comes to find a meaning to life that is
important to them.’ Maslow (1954) created a 5 stage model (Figure 1), each
person can reach the 5th
stage through different means and processes as well as life
circumstances that can effect the development from one stage to the next. Starting
from basic needs to higher order needs and being the best and most that one can
be. If a person was deficient on a need this would be a reason to motivate them
into action. As well as individual and societal circumstances and values can effect
progress.
Figure 1: Abraham Maslow (1954), ‘Hierarchy of needs 5 stage model’.
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Questions start arising from this new perspective which I will explore throughout
this thesis. How does ones upbringing and education effect and define an
understanding of ones latent potential and self-actualization? Does everyone have
the same opportunities to reach self-actualization and how best can that be
achieved? How does one become motivated to fulfil ones needs and to reach self-
actualization?
One of Maslow’s needs according to his hierarchy of needs is the need and desire
for order, beauty and symmetry. This may be a reason why I have always been
fascinated by nature and uplifted by things that show forth beauty and symmetry
as it is meeting one of these higher order needs leading towards self-actualization
and transcendence. This is shown aesthetically in my works of art through
symmetry, geometry and pattern. There is a unique vastness and potency in nature
that provides wonder, inspiration, engagement and self-actualisation of all the
senses of touch, smell, sound, sight and hearing. It connects with something
internal, higher, beyond a material existence. There is a dynamic interrelationship
between art and the environment, from a rural to an urban environment where
enduring learning experiences can occur: ‘Educational projects that create links
between art, design and the environment establish new relationship between
learners and their surroundings’ (in Coutts and Joleka, 2010: 125). The
characteristics of these different environments can create an awareness and
consciousness of social aspects of ones understanding of themselves and a space.
For example, in an urban environment the nature and characteristics of the
buildings and surroundings could create challenges for social interactions in
comparison to a smaller rural town where there are different spaces and paces for
interaction. Countryside environments could provide a different pace and dynamic
of social interactions and development of ideas from exposure to a range of
spaces. Individual connections start to develop of how nature, the natural patterns
and rhythms of nature can be a starting point for self-transformation, at the same
time it can be used in educational projects and curriculums. This provides exciting
and new ways of interacting and understanding the possibilities of learning within
natural environments. This can furthermore create a sense of calm, peacefulness
and mindfulness. Reflecting on my experiences of working with children in a
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more rural and natural environment such as Tonga compared to a more urban
environment such as London, it was apparent that these different environments
changed pupils perceptions and interactions with one another. For example, pupils
in Tonga had exposure to learning in nature and this would be incorporated
visually in their work as well as in teaching and learning activities. They would
approach their life and learning differently as a result of the culture of learning in
the natural environment.
There are natural forms and patterns created in nature and its organic, changing
characteristics have inherent beauty and harmony that can uplift and inspire noble
sentiments such as service, unity and understanding. Each person connects with
different aspects of reality and art that can develop their inherent potentialities and
qualities according to their abilities and capacities. Education as well as individual
and societal circumstances play a significant role in each person’s development.
This can be expressed through Art with moments of transcendence beyond the
material plane and give an experience that could be called spiritual. It can uplift,
inspire and connections can be made with themes such as natural rhythms and
patterns. Furthermore, by looking at nature one can appreciate and learn about
cycles of transformation from the changing seasons and colours as well as develop
a deeper and wider understanding of these themes and mysteries that can be
communicated and translated into a piece of art. This furthermore develops
qualities such as patience, perseverance and understanding for example, from
studying a vast theme such as nature. Madalena Laboa (2012) quotes the famous
painter Georgia O’Keefe and her fascination with natural forms and her desire to
share this through her artwork: ‘When you take a flower in your hand and really
look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone
else.’ The learning beyond the classroom manifesto reinforces the power of
learning experiences that can happen outside the classroom and the benefits and
transformations that can happen as a result:
By helping young people apply their knowledge across a range
of challenges, learning outside the classroom builds bridges between
theory and reality, schools and communities, young people and
their futures.
(DfES, 2006: 5)
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Experiences of being brought up in Nigeria, the landscapes and wide array of
colours from the changing vibrant skies and the cultural surroundings, have
provided inspiration and effected how I see art and develop future choices.
Patterns emerge and develop from the way people view and live their life in
different settings and contexts. For example, in African textiles and weaving
which are part of the cultural heritage, the process of making pieces of art have
symbolic significances and meaning. Spinning and weaving thread is an analogy
of human reproduction and resurrection. In Textiles each tribe would have their
own distinct patterns as symbols and images that represented their identity and had
features that would have spiritual meanings that people could immediately
recognize. William Morris Tapestry and textiles have a distinct process of making
the form with a purity and elegance in the form as well as richness of colour and
exquisite precision in detail that people from all backgrounds can relate and learn
from. He had a preference to medieval textiles due to his experiences and
apprenticeship with G.E. Street, who had written a book called Ecclesiastical
Embroidery in 1948, who preferred a more expressive embroidery technique.
The vast landscapes and experiences have affected how I see myself and create art.
Being surrounded with a creative family who used to sew, weave and create fine
art paintings and carpets (Figure 2) has shaped how I see and create art. From the
patterns formed in Persian carpets, to detailed paintings reflecting a rich cultural
history, as well as social and political realities of a countries long-standing history.
The Persian carpet is essential in the culture of Iran; Persian arts vary across many
disciplines such as weaving, architecture, calligraphy and fine art painting, with
artists’ distinct styles from the Islamic culture and design being integrated into
their works of art. There is a vibrant mix of colours, natural materials and design
that it encapsulates unique and culturally specific patterns and designs. The
designs on each carpet have a unique purpose and reveals narratives about the
individual and society. Often with repeated geometric patterns with natural forms
and species such as flowers and birds included in the design of the carpets. The
choice of colours in the carpet is often stronger due to practical reasons such as
dirt spillages. Furthermore, the colour green is used sparingly in some parts of the
carpet that people are less likely to walk on, as it is symbolic of the Holy
Manifestation Mohammed. Carpet weaving has been embedded in the ancient
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Persian culture. The designs share a common style with other Persian decoration
in miniatures and in tile work for example. The distinct and cultural specific
narratives told in each part of the design can transform and inform people’s
perceptions and consciousness about themselves and society:
A piece of the fabric transmits information about the society which
created it in a manner not dissimilar to a written language, except in
this case the grammar is printed in the cloth’s fibre, pattern, dye,
and method of production.
(Kruger, K. S, 2008:11)
Working with existing patterns from nature or narratives that could be embedded
in architecture furthermore can produce vast, new ways of approaching and
understanding Art and Design in Education and the potential of modes of
expression to create a range of works:
Teaching was designed to guide the student in acquiring the means of
artistic expression by appealing to his talents and to develop
an atmosphere of creativity in which original works become possible.
(Itten, 2003: 41-42)
Figure 2: Persian carpet and Fine art paintings, 2011.
A critical analysis of my educational experiences and observations in urban
and rural settings: Cultures and transitions
As I start reflecting on how potential was released from childhood and throughout
my educational experiences it is apparent that during these different phases,
influences from the cultures and environments I was exposed to as well as
environments and realities I was in formed my identity and practice. From
teaching in Tonga to London it became clear of the importance for children to be
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able to critically reflect and to also draw on their range of experiences. Each
society and culture has their own visual, political realities that shape their
experiences and how they see themselves and society. For example, the artist
Shirin Neshat explores in her work social, political and psychological boundaries
and experiences of the Iranian society, looking at notions of femininity and
identity. Each artist expresses their experiences diversely according to their
perceptions of reality and conditions of society which vary from place to place.
Emily Pringle reinforces this idea of the processes of discovery, conversations
about Art and Design that can create developments in the mind as well as in other
aspects of pupil’s holistic development:
…knowledge is essentially constructed by learners, who actively generate
meaning through discovery, discussion and making connections, rather than
passively received from external sources. And because learning is not only
an intellectual, but also a social and emotional process, these aspects
need to be recognized as well.
(2013: 114)
Knowledge formation in education and the ethical complexities and modes of
learning and expression for each student to fulfil their potential is varied and could
effect their development and progress depending on various factors such as
approach and suitable learning environments. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1954)
and theory of self-actualization also mentions in the higher order needs, the need
for morality in ones actions. This is something I can relate to from all my
childhood and educational experiences in my thoughts and actions within
education that have created works of art and ways of producing works of art with
an ethical and moral framework. I was working on various educational
programmes in Tonga in 2011-2012, that had a key element of using arts to
empower and release potential in students and the community (Figure 3). This not
only transformed pupils approach to thinking and making art but also their
surroundings with multi-disciplinary and collaborative work.
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Figure 3: Pupils work at Ocean of Light International School, 2011-2012.
They had a common purpose and meaning within the holistic curricula with a
moral framework, that produced effective and fruitful collaborations and
friendships. For example, they would have a virtue of a week such as empathy
and have structured collaborative activities in which pupils would explore the
practice and implication of this virtue to their individual and collective lives.
Virtue classes were implemented into a one hour block across the primary School
hours as well as innovative youth empowerment programmes for 11-14 year olds
that explored moral issues, identity and community service. This further had
implications for how pupils would define, see themselves and address the needs of
the community through the use of arts. Storr further reinforces nurturing this need
further:
…Storr suggests, there is a need to identify how contemporary
art practice might be conceptualized as a human and
cultural phenomenon that addresses present day issues that have
personal and public relevance.
(in Sullivan,2008:1)
In Tonga where I was teaching from January 2011 to January 2012 at the Ocean of
Light International Schools there was a small community and collective spirit
within the school community with family and community identity being an
important part of the culture. Pupils and teachers would consult and collectively
find the needs of the community and find ways to address and support its needs
with the use of arts playing a key role. We would create art projects as well as
community projects personalized to the community and needs of the pupils,
creating different and specific skills within each pupil. For example, groups of
students collaborated to teach English reading and writing to the primary school
students as well as helping out with sports activities. They visited a mental health
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institution sharing prayers and songs as well as created fundraisers, cleaning the
environment and transforming with their creativity uplifting environments for
learning. Inden (1998) directs our attention to how a group of people can have a
significant impact in the environment they are in with purposeful and diverse
action and reflection:
The power of people to act purposively and reflectively, in more or
less complex interrelationships with one another, to reiterate and remake
the world in which they live, in circumstances where they may
consider different courses of action possible and desirable, though
not necessarily from the same point of view.
(In Addison, N, Burgess, L, Steers, J and Trowell,J. 2010: 127)
Having a clear unified vision, sense of purpose and reading the reality of different
School environments produces transforming effects in the individual and to
society. I was working as a school counsellor with a group of pupils who had
social emotional problems and they would express visually some of the problems
that they were facing in a variety of art forms. This was initially by talking about
the specific issues that were effecting their education, making realistic goals and
plans for improvement, intervention with moral educational classes as well as
closer collaboration with families and extra support in class. The use the art was
central to their transformation and progress as well as a tool to address and solve
these issues. Their behaviour and outlook improved and changed as a result. This
was shown in the development of attitudes, behaviours and there was a
progression in their academic grades as a result. The importance of finding a
balance between holistic curriculum content and its engaging delivery to a wide
range of pupils’ needs and capacities was explored in Tonga. As well as the effects
of the curriculum delivery on how pupils see themselves, others, their future paths
as well as how it can personally transform how their potential and capabilities can
be nurtured and developed through a creative teaching style. A more unified
conception of what it means to be a person, acknowledging all parts of a person’s
character and intellect are important to think about furthermore. Sir Ken Robinson
(2011) furthermore mentions in his talk about educating the mind and the heart the
importance of personalizing education and curriculums to engage the whole
character which has personal and public relevance to be able to fulfil potential. He
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highlights the unique capability of art as a way to express each individual’s unique
humanity, to connect with oneself and to share this unique perspective with others.
It has been a constant journey to strive to find meaning and understand the
learning and transitions that can occur during different phases of education. Roy
Prentice mentions, referring to Pollard (2002) that ‘central to transition from one
school to another is a capacity to adapt while retaining a sense of self.’ (Prentice,
2003: 37). The notion of the individuality and ‘self’ in Art and Design is
integrated in the curriculum content exploring complex topics such as identity
through a multi-disciplinary approach to include perspectives from various
cultures. According to the Gilbert report ‘20 20’ (Dfes, 2006) personalized
learning ‘is a matter of moral purpose and social justice and has the potential to
transform education’ (in Addison, Burgess, Steers and Trowell, 2010: 71). Art and
Design has always had a power and significance in people’s life whether to share
common meanings, uplift, create purpose and inspire new and higher ideals within
oneself and the environment. It can effect ones perception of reality, truth and
knowledge. Timo Jokela highlights this potential further of creating art that
‘…surpasses the local people’s everyday experiences and knowledge of a place…’
(in Coutts and Jokela, 2008: 6).
The potential of the use of arts to tackle complex issues and experiences that can
instil positive attitudes, learning experiences and behaviours could have varying
effects on gender. Pen Dalton highlights some of the discourse surrounding the
complexities and role of gender in Art and Design Education, with hierarchies and
identities developing through different educational phases and environments with
a need for perhaps more equality and a gender balance between male and females.
This could be linked to how education has the potential to create a new visual
language that has the capacity of ‘acknowledging the multitude, contradictory, and
complex subject positions people occupy within different social, cultural, and
economic locations’(Giroux,2005: 13). The perception of how each person
defines themselves at different stages of their education could be influenced by the
environment in which they have been educated in as well as the one that the
teacher creates within the curriculum and school setting:
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…modernist art education has been and continues to be a complex
of gendered discursive practices: saturated through with masculine
and feminine divisions and hierarchies which in turn produce
gendered identities as hierarchical.
(Dalton, 2008:8)
Reflecting on how my own subject specialism in Painting developed historically
as well as in Art Education was inseparable to the approach of the teacher and the
curriculum content. The curriculum content in 2011 and how it was presented to
engage all abilities of students developed through the different levels and phases
of Education with an absence of a prescribed curriculum in England and Wales is
important to reflect on. This has implications for the subject knowledge that the
teacher is creatively trying to share with the student to make sure they are
engaging in the learning according to their ability, cultures, talents and interests
covering a broad curriculum and its content. For example, the subject knowledge
could cover a range of art history and multi-disciplinary skills in the arts that can
develop transferable skills and qualities for different settings. As the National
Curriculum for Art and Design (2007) under ‘the importance of art and design’
further reinforces the unique ability of Art Education that provides a rich and
diverse meaning and value in their life that extends beyond the classroom:
In art, craft and design, pupils…learn to appreciate and value images
and artefacts across times and cultures, and to understand the contexts in
which they are made. In art, craft, and design, pupils reflect critically on
their own and other people’s work, judging quality, value and meaning…
They develop an appreciation of art, craft and design, and its role in the
creative and cultural industries that enrich their lives.
(QCA, 2007:17)
As I entered higher education from 2005-2008 there was a wider exposure to
students to a diverse range of contemporary artworks ranging from Tracey Emin to
Damien Hurst. There was also as an encouragement from the tutors to bring
cultural and personal narratives into the works of art. This exposure to new ways
of thinking and making provided new skills, critical thinking and innovative ways
of making. There are different approaches whilst engaging pupils in contemporary
art in relation to abstract art for example as the subject content of the work with
the endless scope of artists to introduce pupils also varies. From my experience of
working in London and Tonga, having a varied range of artists from different
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disciplines and cultures that suit the capacity and individuality of different age-
groups and pupils proves to be effective in the level of engagement of the pupil as
well as in their progression of their learning. Thomas Heatherwick highlights
some important aspects that the making process with which I can identify:
Through making we can learn to solve problems, adopt more practical
ways of thinking, understand the way things work, the nature
of materials…as well as witness the realisation of our ideas…making
should be an integral part of the curriculum for all schools and colleges,
not just as a means of teaching art and design but as a source of learning
and inspiration about the world around us.
(Heatherwick in Burgess and Schofield 2007: 183)
The skills, qualities and ways of making that Thomas Heatherwick highlights can
be developed in different phases of Education. There are clear changes and
interpretations that arrive when changing from one phase of education to the next,
from primary to secondary. Roy Prentice mentions that: ‘Traditionally, primary
school teachers have viewed art and design as a practical subject’ (Prentice, 2003:
34). This would focus perhaps more on developing ones aesthetic judgements and
understandings of line, shape and colour for example rather than to:
Have more than an agreed set of skills with which to make responses to
experience, if learning in art is to have personal significance throughout
schooling. What is required is the development of a reflective dimension.
(Prentice, 2003: 36)
This reflective dimension was developing more during different higher phases of
education. As educators striving and ‘…engaging students in the interpretation and
analysis of visual and material culture through classroom dialogue’ (in Addison,
Burgess, Steers and Trowell, 2010: 76) will help to acquire wider skills and
potentialities in pupils.
A comparison of Teaching and educational learning experiences: London and
Tonga
Varying landscapes and nature have always been part of my surroundings from
childhood and throughout educational experiences. This has provided inspiration
to the development of ideas in my art-practice and as an educator. Desert and
tropical landscapes from being brought up in Africa and teaching experiences in
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vast eye-opening landscapes and surroundings from Tonga to China have provided
new dynamic perspectives. The inherent delicate, changing qualities and memories
that nature and the environment has as well as themes that it can inspire such as
transformation, environment, education, service, unity and justice have been
evolving in my art-practice. Figure 4 is an example of work I made in 2008 using
a variety of materials and processes at Camberwell College of Arts as well as
during my PGCE from 2009-2010.
Figure 4: Anisa Tahzib, Organic patterns and Universal connections, 2008 and 2010, Netting, metal rods, flowers, pins,
plastic, paints, paper, string, tracing paper, wood and perspex.
I work with a variety of everyday materials, some of the materials like flowers
change their qualities, shape and form as time goes on. To symbolize and make
the viewer think about how everything in the world is in constant motion,
connected, transitory, in change, fleeting and advancing. This reflects societal
changes and developments affecting both the individual and community to
educational and institutional changes. The installations usually vary in scale and
materials so one can interact with them and relate to the pieces and experience the
changing forms and qualities close up and from different views and perspectives.
These different experiences, developing concepts and perspectives can be used in
different educational settings and locations developing enduring skills, as John
Dewey States:
20
…education must engage with and enlarge experience; that thinking
and reflection are central to the act of teaching; and that students must
freely interact with their environments in the practice of
constructing knowledge.
(in Battodano, Darder and Torrer, 2003: 3)
My art practice at university led me to a growing intrigue in different materials,
the processes, transformation and the qualities of these materials. Especially
simple, everyday, accessible materials such as string, pins and paper. This has led
to my interest in areas such as installation art, public art, site-specific and
environmental art. Furthermore with implications connected to the built
environment and citizenship as it enriches pupil’s experiential and holistic learning
in the school environment and beyond. Moreover, an interest in how pupils
develop an inquisitive and exploratory approach to their work using a range of
materials to develop their ideas started to emerge from this phase of education.
Connections started being made to the critical relationship to art contexts, notions
of the public as well as audience participation within different spaces. Miwon
Kwon (2002) sympathises for ‘…a functionalist ethos that prioritized public art’s
use value over its aesthetic value, or measured its aesthetic value in terms of use
value.’ The importance of meaning, purpose and value that art can cultivate in a
public setting produces personal and public relevance. The artist does have a
humanizing effect in creations of art that can help break down alienation or
disconnect that can occur in urban environments, with a personal and humanistic
approach to thinking and making works of art. Moreover, Miwon Kwon further
highlights the imperative role of public art to transform spaces not only
aesthetically but it could also effect well-being:
Public art works were meant to play a supplementary but crucial role in
the amelioration of what were perceived to be the ill effects of
the repetitive, monotonous, and functionalist style of
modernist architecture.
(in Kwon, 2002: 64)
Teaching in a new culture and educational system such as Tonga made me aware
of the diversity and flexibility of a teacher to be able to address a wide variety of
needs and backgrounds. In the schemes of work I developed there was an overlap
and exploratory use of art, craft and design in different contexts with reflective,
21
critical, dialogic and evaluative skills. There was also multidisciplinary work
created and encouraged, exploring a range of materials, topics, reflecting their
social, cultural, religious, spiritual and intellectual identities. For example, Figure
5 (2011) shows a dynamic use of materials and range of art works from pupils in
Tonga to reflect student’s diverse upbringing from China to Australia reflected in
their drawing of the China wall and use of symbolic cultural designs. Pupils’ work
also referenced cultural sites in Tonga and personal narratives of joys and
hardships in their lives integrated into the fabric and pattern of their work. As
these had a big influence in their surroundings, thoughts, influences and
upbringing. Virtues such as unity, cooperation, equality, respect and understanding
were explored artistically to enhance their inner values and develop skills to be
more effective learners. Local artists and themes to do with their social realities
were included into the curriculum, such as cultural sites, local materials such as
tapa cloth, colours from natural materials and fruits, as well as local techniques
such as group weaving and Tongan designs were used to make pieces of art. The
topics each pupil chooses and how pupils from different cultures express their
ideas vary from their diverse cultural background, realities, cultural heritage and
perspectives. Each place and environment has distinct themes, topics, processes
that shape pupils attitudes, perceptions and that they can draw on for ideas and
inspiration for their work. It is vital for the teacher to be aware of current and
relevant themes to intersperse into the curriculum addressing these wide cultural
needs.
22
Figure 5: Pupils work from Ocean of Light International School and community art work, Tonga, 2011, Tapa, paints, prints.
and cardboard
The fusion of learning from different cultures and settings will allow for the
exploration and development of a sense of identity and purpose as well as a higher
consciousness of connections that can impact creative ways of thinking and
making art. There are endless opportunities for learning within diverse settings:
In radically integrated educational settings we all have the opportunity
to learn in the context of diversity, to be critically conscious of
difference without allowing difference to keep us apart.
(Hooks, 2003: 80)
The potential for change in diverse environments and places will inform and
influence ones art practice as well as thinking about themes to include in
curriculums. Using the power of creativity and imagination as the National
Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education highlight that ‘Creativity
is possible in all areas of human activity, including the arts, sciences, at work, at
play and in all other areas of daily life’ (1999:6). Furthermore, being aware of the
transforming effects that accessibility to diverse cultures, historical periods and
viewpoints can have on students will bring about positive results. Baljit Barlow in
Mason and Eca (2009) further reinforces the power and complexities of cultural
identity (1998) and discusses the process of adaption to various cultures and the
longevity of cultural roots remaining in ones developing consciousness and
expressions in pieces of art.
Olivia Gude (2009), in a journal article ‘Can Art Education Shape Society?
highlights that ‘As Democratic citizens, we must believe that what we do affects
the world around us...’. Art and Design has an integrated role to play in the
process of self-transformation and developing unique areas in releasing the
23
capacity of each student. This ultimately changes ones thought’s and actions into
the wider community, as Richard Hickman highlights ‘educating young people as
citizens who can make a meaningful contribution to society’ (Hickman, 2003: 85).
Examining common patterns and cultural connections: artists and theorists
approach through experiences and transitions in life and art
Each artist and educator has different ways of seeing reality and approaching art
that affects their thoughts, behaviours, actions and identity. Art is a powerful tool
to express this from different perspectives and to connect others with their
personal narratives with global implications. Topics such as identity have been
explored in different contexts from Tonga to London and by different artists such
as Richard Hamilton and Mona Hatoum. Each student and artist has interpreted
this topic differently according to various factors such as education, upbringing,
values and how they perceive and express reality according to their perspective are
some examples amongst many others. At the same time allowing each student to
express their ideas innovatively with wide ranging materials are important to think
about in relation to finding personal and global connections. Integration of a
balanced approach can enable effective education, Beetlestone (2006) states that
education is:
Conceptualized as arising out of a holistic teaching practice that value
all aspects of a child’s experience and personality. It is
interactive, incorporating discussion, social context, sensitivity
to others.
(in Banaj, Burn, 2006: 50-51)
Having been brought up in varied landscapes with different spaces to reflect and
uplift at the same time, the emotional changes that can occur are very apparent
from different phases of education accompanied with environmental changes. For
example, the countryside has always seemed to have a calming joyful
transcendental effect personally, with the vibrancy, experiential experiences that
nature and the environment can cultivate in gaining inspiration and learning.
Understanding the moments of joy, development of ideas and art work in these
contexts is complex and the Affect theory developed by Silvan Tomkins sheds
some clarity. Affect refers to a biological portion of emotion that each person has
that when triggered can be claimed to produce certain patterns of biological
24
expression. For example a positive state of affect would be feeling excitement
accompanied by joy on a higher level of intensity, showed in the facial expression
of smiling. Tomkins listed nine of these affects with various emotions ranging
from interest to fear, the emotions with positive effects are said to cause maximum
mental health. There is evidence to show the positive effects that art education can
have in forming student’s identity, channelling their emotions and developing
holistic characters:
From early childhood to adolescence, the arts can foster youth
movements for social change through positive development. Students
who experience high levels of arts enrichment show greater
academic performance, enrolment in and graduation from high school
and college, civic and community service, news consumption,
and engagement in local politics. Moreover, participation in the arts—
even as a spectator—predicts increases in civic engagement, tolerance
and altruism, regardless of age, race, or education.
(Ho, 2012:1)
Developmental psychologist Howard Gardner developed a theory on multiple
intelligences with an awareness of the potentialies this can release. This builds on
the ideas that Ping Ho has researched that creates in students important qualities
such as tolerence and altruism. Integrating both Ping Ho and Howard Gardner’s
concepts into teaching and learning as an educator and artist can help each student
to reach their unique potential and capacities. This should be connected closely
with curriculum development. Carla Lane (1991) draws our attention to Howard
Gardener’s Theory and its impact on the individual:
We are all able to know the world through language, logical-
mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of
the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of
other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals
differ is in the strength of these intelligences - the so-called profile
of intelligences –and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked
and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems,
and progress in various domains.
Sharizeh Houshiary is an Iranian installation artist and sculptor. Her work could be
said to engage the multiple intelligences that Howard Gardener highlights with her
cultural heritage integrated into the work. Her work has a distinct and strong
Persian influence and she integrates this into her art work and transforms spaces
with her unique use of personal patterns in her approach to making. This is
25
interspersed with spiritual themes and concerns that run throughout her work with
inspiration from Sufism and Rumi, a poet from the 13th
century. She uses a range
of materials to give the audience a spiritual experience that transcends the material
and uses themes such as unity and beauty. This work below, ‘East window’, 2008,
Figure 6, transforms a church space with its meditative and intuitive design. These
themes and approaches can be used to introduce different ways of thinking and
making with universal themes and concerns that each pupil can respond to
individually. Enabling students to draw from their cultural backgrounds, develop
interpretations and present their ideas through Art and Design.
Figure 6: Sharizeh Houshiary,’East window’,2008, stainless steel framework, glass panels and handmade paintings.
Zineb Sedira is another artist who has travelled to different places and landscapes
connected to her heritage from France to Algeria, these experiences and changing
landscapes have influenced her outlook and work with themes such as language
and storytelling running throughout her work. Her work interrogates Algeria as a
French colony where she is originally from. After her return to Algeria the after-
math created by the civil war became apparent in her work with landscapes
heavily appearing in her work. There are different qualities that appear in her films
with a reaccuring image of the Mediterranean Sea being one of the key features in
her films. With connotations of the history and culture of the Sea with notions of
separation and movement apprearing in her work. She is able to juxtapose
different themes to do with identity, religion, gender and culture with contrasted
poignant and mesmerising images such as ships, wreckages, beaches, birds,
objects and transitions shown by people or birds. The images are poetic with their
subtle references creating connections and distances between personal narratives
26
with political and historical references as well as connections and relvance with
themes as well as debates such as globalisation. The unique visual language that
she creates from her peronal heritage and narrative in her work for example from
2007-2008, Figure 7 and Figure 8 gives the viewer a rich visual language in which
different positionalities can be explored personally,in relation to society and
integrated within pedagogy can produce transforming effects:
. . . Entry [into a work] is facilitated when the public perceives the
work as performing some useful task…To be guided through space in
a way that rewards the passer-by is of prime value to the public.
(in Kwon, 2002)
Figure 7: Zineb Sedira, 1997,’Quatre Génération de Femmes’, Computer-generated designs silk-screened onto ceramic tiles.
Figure 8: Zineb Sedira,2008, photographic still from movie MiddleSea.
Zarina Bhimji is a Ugandan artist who uses the medium of film like Zineb Sedira
as a tool to express her ideas. Her film ‘Out of the blue’ (2002) portrays a rich
visual history, her personal narrative of her experiences as well as capturing the
period of time when President Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of all Asians from
Uganda is portrayed powerfully throughout the film. As a result of these events
Bhimji and her family had to remain in hiding in the country for two years. The
27
turmoil and after-math has left emotions and stories that are told throughout her
movie. Many of Zarina Bhimjis films are related to her personal history as well as
narratives from her experiences and environments she has been in which can be
connected to the artist Zineb Sedira. In her film ‘Out of the blue’, 2001, Figure 9,
she captures a sublime landscape contrasted with a landscape on fire with sounds
of gunshots, birds, mosquitos and laughing at different points during the movie.
This creating an intense atmosphere as well creating physical and psychological
spaces for the audience to reflect on and experience of that particular reality. She
successfully conveys universal human qualities and emotions such as love, grief
and longing. There are natural rhythms and visual qualities that the landscapes
portray, she opens up spaces and takes the viewers on a journey of new
discoveries and emotions.
Figure 9: Zarina Bhimji, 2001, photogrpahic stills from film ‘Out of the blue’.
Gabbeh (Figure 10) is a film made in 1996 by the Iranian film director Mohsen
Makhmalbaf. The name is from a hand-woven persian rug often characterized by
an abstract, playful geometric design. Like Zarina Bhimji and Zineb Sedira the
stirking use of moving images in the film Gabbeh integrated with personal cultural
connections brings an appreciation and understanding of cultural unity and
diversity. The name Gabbeh also refers to a girl in the film which follows her life
story with her family. With themes to do with finding a husband running
throughout the movie as well as the ritual of cleaning the carpet, with a rich
history of the family depicted in the design of the Gabbeh as well as the courtship
of the women to a stranger which is depicted in the colourful personal narrative of
the Gabbeh. The images are striking and poetic, with the phrase “All life is color”
running throughout the movie and reflected in the landscapes and scenary.
28
Figure 10: Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1996, photographic still from movie ‘Gabbeh’.
Sergei Parajanov’s film the ‘Color of Pomegranates’ (1968) is a rich visual
tapestry of the biography of the Armenian Troubadour Sayat Nova (King of song),
with poetic metaphorical scenes depicting different scenes to do with growing up,
falling in love, entering a monastery to death. All of which are from his
imagination as well as from poetry by Sayat Nova. Dialogue is not present but
instead replaced by a colourful and artistic use of costumes, design, interior,
exterior décor and props, with one actor playing six roles (Figure 11). It celebrates
the Armenian culture in the midst of oppression in the country. The image of the
red pomegranate leaving a stain projects an image of the concept to do with
boundaries of the Kingdom of Armenia. Sergei Parajanov claimed that his
inspiration was derived from Armenian miniatures. He wanted to create a dynamic
narrative from the images themselves. The images and themes could be relevant to
each person as they can bring their interpretation and meaning into the poetic and
timeless images.
Figure 11: Sergei Parajanov, 1968, photographic still from movie ‘The colour of Pomegranates’.
29
The tobias twin brothers (Figure 12) modernist geometric work made in 2012 also
have a connection with patterns of daily life drawing narrative images and patterns
from folk art with decorative motifs such as plants,embroidery and flowers. There
is a surreal dimension to their work and transformation of the objects to create
their personal visual narratives. Boundaries between fine art and craft start to
emerge from their work, with an integration of modernity and tradition.
Figure 12: Gert and Uwe Tobias, 2012, ‘Untitled’, Paint on Canvas.
Figure 13: Yinka Shonibare MBE, 2013, ‘Ballerina with Violin (Swan Lake)’Mannequin, dutch wax batik fabric,
violin,globe and ballet pointed shoes.
Yinka Shonibare’s work, 2013, (Figure 13) explores various issues covering, race,
class and colonialism. He particularly analyses the construction of identity as well
as the complex interrelationship between Africa and Europe with their economic
and political histories. He uses a range of media from painting, sculpture to film
and performance. His work raises questions about one’s collective contemporary
30
identity as well as meanings surrounding cultural and national definitions.
Recognizable features of his work are brightly coloured African fabrics, each with
their own personal and cultural narratives. He re-creates famous paintings as well
as British landscapes. His work can be contrasted with William Morris’s designs
and prints, 1866, (Figure 14) in which the landscapes and images he chooses are
from his personal surrounding and heritage. The pomegranate is a fruit that he uses
that can have various meanings across different cultures such as health, fertility,
prosperity and ambition.
Figure 14: William Morris, 1866,’Pomegrante’ Wallpaper print.
Monica De Miranda is an artist who has experienced various landscapes.
Originally from Portugal, she explores transcultural, multiple identities and
different ways of being in these spaces. She analyses her work when exhibiting in
Iniva (2008):
Art is a constant travelling experience within ourselves and others. Art
as life, is an endless journey; it is as a broad road that extends
infinitely into the distance. Art provides a vehicle to travel in that
road. Our own journey consists of various life experiences.
The experience of art allows us to become aware of all the textures
of that pathway, which is where the journey starts.
She forms her own visual language and moves beyond convention. Incorporating
and exploring themes to do with the interconnectedness of globalization as well as
between power, space, geopolitics, suspension, arrivals and departures (Figure 15,
2012). Travel and movement are expressed with personal emotions in her piece
through a variety of mediums and geographies. Shifting paradigms of self appear
in her movie with a longing of belonging during different transitions and phases.
Narratives are built between fiction and reality with the environment of home
31
having no fixed location and could be described as being in the imagination, as an
emotional state or refuge of belonging. She evokes feelings of intimacy and
familiarity through her intricate and unique use of media. Through her work the
viewers can experience the intersection and connections related to identity and in
relation to experiences in the physical as well as perceptions surrounding this
world. Cultural complexities and diversities are explored, closely tied with themes
to do with conceptual states of freedom, restrictions and the parameters of this
within different settings and contexts. She maps out different cultural traces and
connects the viewers with memories of childhood in conjunction to how she
expresses this in her artwork. Nicolas Bourriaud in his essay about ‘The work of
art as social interstice’ explores the possibilities, transformational and educational
effects that works of art can have within different spaces as well as developing a
wide variety of qualities within the participation of the audience as well as its
effects to society:
…an exhibition can generate a particular ‘domain of exchanges.’
And we must judge that ‘domain of exchanges’ on the basis of
aesthetic criteria, or in other words by analysing the coherence of
the form, and then the symbolic value of the ‘world’ it offers us or
the image of human relations it reflects. Within this social
interstice, the artist owes it to himself to take responsibility for
the symbolic models he is showing: all representation refers
to values that can be transposed into society…and inserts itself
into the social fabric.
(Bourriaud, 1998: 162)
Figure 15: Monica De Miranda, 2012, ‘Once upon a time’, Photographic still.
32
The film ‘Universal patterns and connections’, 2013 (Figure 16) captures and
visually narrates different significant phases of my educational life with
personal,cultural,emotions and connections conveyed metaphorically as well as
visually throughout the film. A fusion of sounds from Africa, Iran and the UK are
blended througout the video to highlight the learning experiences that can occur
from diverse perspectives and environments. Notions of the passage of time from
the positioning of the camera,as well as changing and transitions of seasons and
environments are conveyed and a theme that also runs througout the movie.
Personal connections and heritages from a diversity of landscapes and cultures are
juxtaposed throughout the movie. For example, persian dancing images, of
childhood growing up in Africa, scenes of the British Landscape to images of the
pomegranate fruit, which is well-known persian fruit. The pomegrante symbolizes
love in Iran, the fullness of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection in Christianity as well
as a personal reference to a grandfather who was martyred for his belief in the
Bahai Faith in Iran and also a symbol of good things that God creates and paradise
according to the Quran.
A recurring image of a persian carpet is a key feature that symbolizes the history
and changes that occur in different transitions and phases of life. Universal
themes,emotions and aspirations that each person has such as hope,fear,calm,
happiness are referenced in the various scenes and array of colours from the red in
the pomegrante scene to the greens from the countryside scenes as well as
changing landscapes.
Although each person comes from distinct and diverse cultural backgrounds with
unique personal narratives to tell, there are patterns and connections that bring
people together. Some of the scenes transition into new scenes qucikly to show
how some aspects of life are fleeting. I wanted to inlcude images that had
universal connections as well as ambiguity in the image so that viewers from all
different backgrounds could connect their interpretation and experiences with the
image. For example,the sky with images of birds contrasted with boats,
pomegrante scenes, landscape images. As well as an integration of designs in the
paintings and images from diverse cultures could also be a metaphor for the
33
journey each person goes through,each with individual diverse narratives and
connections that mutually enrich and transform thought, action and life.
Interest in universal themes and a unifying aesthetic was a popular idea in the
1920s, promulgated by Clive Bell and later Roger Fry then by Clement Greenberg
in the 1940s. These ideas for universal values or constants in our understanding of
art and aesthetics were subsequently discredited for the ways in which they often
masked Western hierarchies and perpetuated canons in which subaltern voices are
suppressed.
The images could have multiple interpretations and also be a symbol and
metaphor of the potential and capacity that each person has, with the
transformations and journey each person takes to find their individual meaning as
well as purpose to contriubute their unique talents and capacities for the
betterment of society. This can moreover be applicable for teaching and learning
in the approach the teacher takes, the environment created conducive to
developing each persons inherent potential as well as integrating these ideas into
the curriculum content for each pupil to explore their own personal cultural
narratives and identities, its links to global learning as well as realizing the
transforming implications for their individual and collective lives.
Figure 16: Anisa Tahzib, 2013, photographic stills from movie ‘Universal patterns and connections’.
Conclusions: How have these insights and explorations impacted me as an
artist and educator, further implications
A critical analysis and exploration of personal cultural narratives from various
contexts, artists, theorists and from diverse global experiences has made me more
aware of how this is a multi-faceted, complex and evolving learning process.
Moreover, this can be applicable for teaching and learning in the approach the
34
teacher takes as well as integrating this into the curriculum for each pupil to
explore their own personal cultural narratives, identities and realize the
transforming impact on their individual and collective lives. ‘Identification,
including cultural and historical frameworks, is how we group and identify
ourselves and how others do the same’ (Morris, 2013: 43). The development of
identity expressed through a piece of art is multi-faceted and has different
universal and personal cultural dimensions as well as intercultural creative
connections as ways of understanding identity further that can be developed in Art
and Design Education from different starting points. These starting points could be
personal heritages and narratives amongst other relevant multi-discilpinary cross-
cultural approaches and methods through the use of Art and Design. Alternatively
it could be exploring how and why one creates and develops their own personal
visual language in Art and Design. Adolf loos, 1908, mentions about the quality of
joy and purpose that can be developed from ornaments in relation to others:
…when they constitute the joy of my fellow men. Then they are my
joy too…for they all have no other way of attaining the high points
of their existence.
(Loos: 24)
An attitude of learning, constant planning, consultation, action, reflection with joy
are important steps and attitudes needed to constantly improve as an artist and
educator. Maslow mentions as one of the higher order needs as service to others as
well as transcendence accompanied with showing and developing the qualities
needed to release ones own potential as well as other peoples potential. Further
links could be made with the Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
and his studies on happiness, creativity and a state of consciousness that he calls
flow (1990) that impacts happiness and improves the quality of life (Figure 17).
He mentions that when one is in a state of flow you are completely absorbed in an
activity with goal-related thoughts activated:
Being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls
away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows
inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being
is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost.
(Geirland, 2004)
35
Figure 17: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,1990, ‘flow model’.
The notion of flow can be applicable and develop potential in each person in a
range of artworks. Each piece of art whether it is a painting, sculpture, weaving or
performance has their own personal narrative as well as cultural, historical,
intellectual history and identity to convey and inspire others. For example:
Literature from Ancient Greece often illustrates how a woven object
embodies the psychology of its weaver and how weaving can become
a metaphor for the weaver’s thought processes.
(Kruger, K. S, 2008: 15)
Jacques Lacan a psychoanalyst and Kerry Freedman an art educator mention
education as a process of identity formation and a learning process through which
universal global connections in diversity are developed. This quote highlights
some ideas to consider about the processes in which learning can change ones
subjectivity and form an identity. Jacques Lacan, 1977 writes:
The creation of self is based on the subject being invested with
certain characteristics through symbolic representation. The effects of
images shape an individuals self-concept, even in the ways they shape
the notion of individualism. Individuals appropriate characteristics of
visual representations, adapting these representations as a description
of himself/herself.
(in Freedman, 2003: 23)
Nicholas Addison further explains and clarifies that how one expresses themselves
individually or as part of a community ‘…allows them not only a degree of self-
36
representation, or voice, but helps them to form an identity…’ (2010:63). Each
student has unique talents and abilities that can collectively create and form
patterns of behaviour to change oneself and society, so that each person can
flourish and grow according to their capacity and be the best that one can be with a
paradigm shift to understand how education can release and develop ones inherent
potential. This can also be linked to altermodernism a useful term that Nicolas
Bourriaud defined in which art could be referenced as being made in a global
context against standardisation as well as a translation of cultural values to be able
to connect with a range of groups and similarly allow students to form their
identity. This can be connected to developing qualities as an artist and educator
such as having a spirit of service to others as well as bringing these concepts into
curriculum content to aid with developing potential. This can create an
environment that is not only positively encouraging but allows for the exploration
of pupils identity and how that can effect their environment: ‘Commitment to
service helps teachers remain accountable to students for ethical content in the
classroom’ (Hooks, 2003:91). Rasheed Araeen further states about how to use key
processes such as the power of contemplation, freedom of thought, creative and
purposeful action to bring about a creative force, positive change and unique
potential in the individual and in society to create enduring transformation:
Only when people have freedom to think, to reflect and contemplate,
can they confront the norms that have become fixed dogmas, and
so reactivate society’s creative energy. In other words, new
ideas produced by individual creativity, underpinned by freedom
of thought, create a society able to change and transform itself into
a dynamic force in history.
(in Addison and Burgess, 2013: 96)
37
List of Figures
Figure 1. Maslow, A (1954) Hierarchy of needs 5 stage model [Model], [Online],
Available at
http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html#sthash.5qxqvhAu.dpbs (Accessed
8 April 2013).
Figure 2. Persian carpet and Fine art painting (2013) [Weaving and watercolour
on paper], [Image from my laptop] (Accessed 8 April 2013).
Figure 3. Pupils work at the Ocean of Light International school, Tonga, (2011)
[Mixed media], [Image from my laptop] (Accessed 8 April 2013).
Figure 4. Tahzib, A. (2008-2010) Organic patterns and universal connections
[Mixed media], Anisa Tahzib art [Online], Available at
https://sites.google.com/site/anisatahzibart/ (Accessed 8 March 2013).
Figure 5. Pupils work at the Ocean of Light International school, Tonga, (2011)
[Mixed media], [Image from my laptop] (Accessed 8 April 2013).
Figure 6. Houshiary, S. (2008) East window [Stainless steel framework, glass
panels and handmade paintings], [Online] Available at
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/shirazeh-houshiary?language=ja_JP (Accessed 8
April 2013).
Figure 7. Sedira, Z. (1997) Quatre Génération de Femmes [Computer-generated
designs silk-screened onto ceramic tiles], [Online], Available at
http://www.universes-in-universe.de/car/venezia/bien49/auth-exc/e-sedira.htm
(Accessed 19 May 2013).
Figure 8. Sedira, Z. (2008) MiddleSea [Still from movie], [Online], Available at
http://www.frieze.com/shows/review/zineb_sedira/ (Accessed 19 May 2013).
Figure 9. Bhimji, Z. (2001) Out of the blue [Still from Movie], [Online], Available
at http://www.zarinabhimji.com/dspseries/12/1FW.htm
http://art.newcity.com/2009/08/24/review-zarina-bhimjiart-institute-of-chicago/
(Accessed 19 May 2013).
Figure 10. Makhmalbaf, M. (1996) Gabbeh [Still from movie], [Online],
Available at http://clubul-cinefililor.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/miercuri-30-
noiembrie-2011-443-gabbeh.html (Accessed 19 May 2013).
38
Figure 11. Parajanov, S. (1968) The Colour of Pomegranates [Still from movie],
[Online], Available at http://www.armradio.am/en/2012/11/22/the-color-of-
pomegranates-to-be-screened-in-turkey/ (Accessed 20 May 2012).
Figure 12. Tobias, G and U. (2012) Untitled [Paint on canvas [Online], Available
at http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/gert-uwe-tobias (Accessed 20
May 2012).
Figure 13. Shonibare, Y. (2013) Ballerina with Violin [Mannequin, dutch wax
batik fabric, violin, globe and ballet pointed shoes], [Online], Available at
http://www.stephenfriedman.com/artists/yinka-shonibare-mbe/artwork/ballerina-
with-violin-swan-lake (Accessed 2 June 2013).
Figure 14. Morris, W. (1866) Pomegranate [Wallpaper print], [Online], Available
at http://www.ntprints.com/image/356536/pomegranate-wallpaper-designed-by-
william-morris-1866-from-the-pomegranate-passage-at-wightwick-manor
(Accessed 2 June 2013).
Figure 15. De Miranda,M. (2012) Once upon a time [Once upon time], [Online],
Available at http://www.o-u-t.org/#!project (Accessed 2 June 2013).
Figure 16. Tahzib, A. (2013) Universal patterns and Connections [Still from
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Figure 17. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990) Flow model [Model], [Online], Available
at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi (Accessed 15 June
2013).
39
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