Inspired by Kerry Tribe’s artworks on show in the galleries, we played memory games and made drawings from memory.
Looking at satellite photos and plan drawings of the garden, we proposed and tested new pathways for the wild edges, before measuring and mapping the real space. One brilliant proposal was for a path in the shape of a branch. It suits the theme of a wildlife trail and would adapt rather well to react to the wildlife on the ground (and above!).
Using barrier tape we ‘drew’ a big grid on top of the undergrowth and studied the area in detail. The grid allowed us to produce a record of the existing wild areas.
This record can be used by the us architects to design a wildlife trail, which suits what is there. You found plenty of things to take into account: Branches above your heads, paths (who would have made them?), fences, overgrown areas, mud, leaves, stones, creepy crawlies and many, many plants of very different sizes. We made wax rubbings of different textures and developed a series of 1:1 micro map cards (which ants or other crawling insects could use to find their way!). We used the 1:1 micro map cards to play a memory game together.
In the next session we will be camping overnight, exploring the wild spaces at twilight!
On Friday 24th June, Year 1 and 3 pupils from Holy Trinity Primary School continued their explorations of the galleries and the garden at Camden Arts Centre. The pupils were led by Ashvin, from erect architecture.
In the galleries, we looked at work by Kerry Tribe, who is very interested in how to make memories visible and material. She uses delicate materials and different technologies to record and display stories about forgetting, remembering and loss. In Milton Torres Sees A Ghost, the recorded voice of Milton recounted a strange event that happened to him 50 years earlier. We followed his voice through a long ‘path’ of audio tape stretching around the room which led to an ossciloscope; a special machine which ‘maps’ the shape of sound.
We tested our memories with a game using some lost and forgotten objects which were found in the undergrowth of the wild edge of the garden.
We looked at maps and satellite photos of the Centre, its garden and its neighbourhood, before making some imaginary paths through the wild edges of the garden, by folding paper.
Outside we mapped different things including time, textures, the size and shape of trees and edges, and conditions of the space, for instance where it is most dark/light, open/closed, quiet/noisy.
Our experience and recordings will shape new maps of and designs for the area. Research and making will carry on in the Autumn term...
