Experiments in New Thinking

Final Synopsis

How can teenagers be encouraged to develop their personal identities through
creative critical reflection?

My aim was to develop creative, positive and enjoyable workshops where young people can discuss society, culture, values and aspirations, engaging with their personal identities and role within their communities in a constructive way, something I am personally very passionate about. 

The physical, psychological and social changes experienced by adolescents lead psychologists to regard adolescence as a critical period for self and identity development (Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1987).  Identi-tee workshops are designed to encourage young people to reflect on their sense of self and community, enabling them to become confident individuals and decision makers. 

Although there has been some recent interest in the development of social identity (e.g., Bennett & Sani, 2004), most research has been conducted with children, and researchers have assumed adolescents to be equivalent to adults (Ruble et al., 2004; Sani & Bennett, 2004).

Personal wellbeing is currently a non-statutory part of the National Curriculum for 11-16 year olds, and crucial issues - including elements such as personal identity, relationships within the community, and diversity – are not explored in many schools.

My workshops aim to address this using critical reflection, which is considered ‘an extremely useful tool for addressing social and emotional issues, especially those relating to race and culture.’ (Dewey, 1933)

During the workshops, young people collaborate to discuss themselves, their relationships, their society and their environment, and how all these components affect sense of self.  The key theme of personal wellbeing is developed and explored through creativity and reflection exercises:

CREATIVITY Producing artefacts, experimenting with ideas, materials, tools and techniques, taking risks and learning from mistakes.
REFLECTION Exploring the visual, tactile and other sensory qualities of their own and others’ work, identifying how values and meanings are conveyed, developing views and expressing reasoned judgment, analysing and reflecting on their work and the work of others.

I have been extremely moved by the powerful discussions and observations during Identi-tee but have found it difficult to record these without feeling like I am exploiting the young people involved.  I have been left with an overwhelming sense of urgency and concern regarding the futures of many of the participant. 

The exercises work differently on both a group and individual level, with certain topics and related exercises resonating with specific individuals depending on their needs, noticeable from the depth of their responses.  The workshop iterations were therefore very intuitive - exercises were adapted on the spot and at the end of sessions from feedback received.  The young people were extremely vocal about what they enjoyed and what they didn’t - teenagers are very honest with their criticisms.

This summer has really opened my eyes to the group dynamics and peer pressure young people are exposed to everyday, and without a strong sense of self it would be extremely difficult for them to display their true selves in such an environment, where they are under real pressure to conform. 

I hope these workshops can lead to developments in the field of personal identity in adolescents, help recognise its importance and lead to widespread use of the workshops in schools and youth groups.

Identi-tee is ongoing, with further workshops in 2012, using drama, singing, dance, as well as workshops on other key topics, such as relationships and diversity.

The workshops can also be tailored to help the homeless, people who can suffer the most from a lack of identity caused by a feeling of ‘hearthlessness’ and inability to identify with society. Feelings of isolation, rejection and alienation are extremely common with homeless people, these in turn can lead to psychological problems in relation to identity.  I feel there is room to help homeless people explore and stimulate their feelings of identity using a variety of exercises from my findings to date.

My exhibition has been inspired by the Fluxus movement.   Maciunas defined Fluxus products as ‘work that would occur as a result of performance activities, or as elements of participation environments.’ This resonates with what I am trying to represent; I have filled drawers with objects that represent the different workshop exercises involved in Identi-tee, reminiscent of the Fluxkits in which Maciunas collected performance-related cards, games, and ideas.

Autumn 2011

Books:

Friedman, K (1998). The Fluxus Reader. Chichester: Academy Editions.

Kellein, T (1995). Fluxus.  London: Thames and Hudson.

Hendricks, J et al (2008).  Fluxus Scores and Instructions, The Transformative Years.  Roskilde, Denmark : Museum of Contemporary Art.  

Jenkins, J et al (1993).  In the spirit of Fluxus. Minneapolis : Walker Art Center.  

Williams, E. (1997).  Mr. Fluxus: A collective portrait of George Maciunas, 1931 - 1978.  London: Thomas and Hudson.    

Articles:   Umana-Taylor, A., (2004) Ethnic identity and self-esteem: examining the role of social context.  Journal of Adolescence, Volume 27, p. 139-146    Hogg, M. et al, (1995) A Tale of Two Theories: A Critical Comparison of Identity Theory with Social Identity.   Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 58, No. 4 (Dec., 1995), pp. 255-269.   Mezirow, J. (1990). How critical reflection triggers transformative learning. In J. Mezirow (Ed.), Fostering critical reflection in adulthood (pp. 1-18). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.   Nesdale, D. (1999) 'Social identity and ethnic prejudice in children' in Martin, P. and Noble, W. (eds.)Psychology and Society, Brisbane, Australian Academic Press. Nesdale, D. (2004) 'Social identity processes and children's ethnic prejudice' in Benett, M. and Sani, F. (eds) The Development of the Social Self, Hove, Psychology Press.   Exhibitions:

Feldman (2011) The Hugo Boss Prize 2010: Hans-Peter Feldman.  New York: Guggenheim.  20th May - 2nd November 2011.  

Kadinsky (2011) Kadinsky's Painting with a white border.  New York: Guggenheim.  21st October 2011 - 15th January 2012.    

de Kooning (2011) de Kooning: A Retrospective.  New York: MoMA.  18th September 2011 - 9th January 2012.  

Various (2011) Postmodernism: Style and Subversion, 1970-1990.  London: V&A.  24th September 2011 - 15th January 2012.   

Various (2011) Power of Making.  London: V&A.  6th September 2011 - 2nd January 2012.      Various (2011) Glamour of the Gods.  London: National Portrait Gallery.  7th July - 23rd October 2011.     

Model of exhibition piece

Synopsis take 2!

I have redrafted my synopsis following feedback that I should include some information on how my workshops were iterated:

How can teenagers be encouraged to develop their personal identities through creative critical reflection?

My aim was to develop creative, positive and enjoyable workshops where young people can discuss society, culture, values, dreams and aspirations, engaging with their personal identities and role within their communities in a constructive way. 

The physical, psychological and social changes experienced by adolescents lead psychologists to regard adolescence as a critical period for self and identity development (Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1987).  Identi-tee workshops are designed to encourage young people to reflect on their sense of self and community, enabling them to become confident individuals and responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society. 

Although there has been some recent interest in the development of social identity (e.g., Bennett & Sani, 2004), most research has been conducted with children, and researchers have assumed adolescents to be equivalent to adults (Ruble et al., 2004; Sani & Bennett, 2004). 

Personal wellbeing is currently a non-statutory part of the National Curriculum for 11-16 year olds, and crucial issues - including elements such as personal identity, relationships within the community, and diversity – are not explored in many schools.

Dewey (1933) talked about the value of critical reflection in education: it ‘gives attention to one’s experiences and behaviours, and meanings are interpreted from them to inform future decision-making… reflective action is an extremely useful tool for addressing social and emotional issues, especially those relating to race and culture.’ 

Identi-tee explores how creative critical reflection can be used in contemporary society to help teenagers build an awareness of self and identity in relation to both their culture and their community, in turn it looks at ways for teenagers and their communities to work collectively to produce work that reflects their experiences and the places they live. 

During the workshops, young people collaborate to discuss themselves, their relationships, their society and their environment, and how all these components affect sense of self.  The key theme of personal wellbeing is developed and explored through creativity and reflection exercises:

CREATIVITY Producing artefacts, experimenting with ideas, materials, tools and techniques, taking risks and learning from mistakes.
REFLECTION Exploring the visual, tactile and other sensory qualities of their own and others’ work, identifying how values and meanings are conveyed, developing views and expressing reasoned judgment, analysing and reflecting on their work and the work of others.

The exercises work differently on both a group and individual level, with certain topics and related exercises resonating with different individuals depending on their needs.  This was easy to tell from the depth of their responses.  The workshop iterations were therefore very intuitive - exercises were adapted on the spot and at the end of sessions from feedback received.  The young people were extremely vocal about what they enjoyed and what they didn’t - teenagers are very honest with their criticisms. 

I hope that these workshops could lead to developments in the field of personal identity in adolescents, help recognise its importance and lead to widespread use of the workshops in schools and youth groups.

Identi-tee is on going, there are further workshops in 2012, using drama, singing and dance to aid critical reflection, as well as workshops on other key topics, such as relationships or diversity. 

The workshops can also be tailored to help the homeless, people who can suffer the most from a lack of identity caused by a feeling of ‘hearthlessness’ and inability to identify with society. Feelings of isolation, rejection and alienation are extremely common with homeless people, these in turn can lead to psychological problems in relation to identity.  I feel there is room to help homeless people explore and stimulate their feelings of identity using a variety of exercises from my findings to date.

My exhibition has been inspired by the Fluxus movement.   Maciunas defined Fluxus products as ‘work that would occur as a result of performance activities, or as elements of participation environments.’ This resonates with what I am trying to represent; I have filled drawers with objects that represent the different workshop exercises involved in Identi-tee, reminiscent of the Fluxkits in which Maciunas collected performance-related cards, games, and ideas.

David Graas

I first became aware of David Graas's work when I bought the book 1000 New Eco Designs, so when I was planning my exhibition I emailed him to ask for help, and I am extremely pleased to say he has agreed to help me with my wardrobe design for the exhibition.  

I've been reflecting on the workshops and the key things I noticed.  One is that the specific exercises worked best for those young people who really needed it, by this I mean the ones who had already been thinking about the issues concerned due to reasons specific to them.  For example when we discussed our names and what they meant to us, and how they represented us ones of the most vocal members of the group had had occasion to discuss changing her name for legal reasons. 

Thought of the day

The shifts in adolescence are so significant, we need to ensure we support our young people, those who are not academic may not receive the support they need in the current school system, workshops that develop their existing skills and interests can help create confident and positive young people.  It can help young people develop a range of skills to ensure they can make the right decisions in a different period of their lives, assess risk and build healthy relationships. 

My entries are becoming slightly less regular at the moment, purely because I have been spending almost all my energy on a daily basis on the PR campaign for the exhibition.  It's going very well, I have a good range of journalists and bloggers interested in our exhibition, I have prepared and sent through case studies for them, and am writing a press release shortly. 

I am also trying to rally everyone into being a part of the PR campaign, I need them all to be active otherwise the information I am getting out there won't go very far!

I am also trying to figure out where I am going to get a child's wardrobe from for the exhibition.  I am worried about leaving it too late. 

Same with printing out my blog, I don't want to leave it so that it has more entries in the book but doesnt come in time for the exhibition!!

I will write more soon, about my reflective thoughts post workshops, as I have been formulating some thinking...

Artefact iteration

My initial artifact looked at ways of combining modern technologies and traditional crafting techniques in order to explore how people and groups pass on their cultural identity through crafting, and whether technology can help to facilitate this process.  I initially created woven lights made from LED tape.  I quickly realised I was more interested in the interaction of people with products, and created kits that encouraged craft-based cross-generational interactions.  To this end, I started investigating crafting as a social network - I spent a lot of time at crafts groups and also investigated how people were searching for and learning new skills online. 

At this point I had 3 very different artifacts, all of which used traditional techniques in a modern setting. These included a chandelier kit for parties, BBQs, music festivals etc., a knitting based artefact, and an Olympic Games based artifact.  After testing all of these I found I was still more interested in finding out about the people using these kits and their relationship with crafting. What I wanted to explore was the demographic of the people and groups, and in turn how to encourage more people to get involved, pass on skills, and to really interact and explore their sense of self and community. Attempting to find a way for young people to get more involved with crafting and the community, and ways that this could help them explore their identity, became my prime focus.

My next artifact focused more on this: an activity based workshop for young people. My aim was to encourage encounters between teenagers and designer makers and local people of different generations.  These encounters led to extremely rich experiences and helped the young people develop a variety of new skills. Whilst volunteering at the local youth club, and testing these activities with the local teenagers, I came up with Graffi-tee – activities to encourage young people to investigate their sense of self through creative critical reflection. 

Through testing this I moved onto Identi-tee, a crafts-based workshop that I have been using with the Girl Guides in North West London since the Summer.  These workshops have been iterated a number of times, after feedback from youth workers and from the teenagers themselves post-workshop. 

The above artifacts have been tested in groups and with experts in their field.

Whilst carrying out testing on Identi-tee and Graffi-tee I noticed another way of engaging with the teenagers, which I hope to develop in 2012.  A number of the young people I worked with would have preferred activities that involved music, dance, and singing.  I have found a number of appropriate practitioners in my area, but have not as yet been able to fully design and test this workshop, although I have adapted a number of improvisation techniques from those I have come across in my research. 

I also spoke to the charity Depaul and the Willesden Hostel as whilst I have been researching teenage identity I became extremely interested in the identity issues that young homeless people suffer from.  I have prepared some exercises for a workshop with them in the New Year, which I will be doing with the support of the appropriate case workers from Depaul. 

Gatekeepers

Artifact 1 Research and Development team, Crafts Council Sarah Hewett, Professional Development Manager, Craft Central Tessa Damer, Studio Manager, Craft Central Craft Central Interns Helen Batley, Minnie Bats Design iGuzzini, lighting designer The Make Lounge team Jane Friend, Craft Residencies Coordinator, Farnham Maltings

Artifact 2 Marsha Oza, jewellery designer, community projects director Chloe Haywood, Milliner, experienced in carrying out workshops with adults and children Karen Hobbs, Costume Designer, experienced in carrying out workshops with young people Josie Boyce, writer, illustrator, art director Jodie May, Crafts enthusiast, new mum Natalie Wiggins, crafts enthusiast Nicola Barron, Founder, Homemade London Jane Gois, Founder, Tea & Crafting Claire Heafford, Founder, The Papered Parlour Jackie Woosnam-Savage, Founder, Create Boutique

Artifact 3 Graffi-tee: Keith Lunn, Director of OK Club, Kilburn Stuart, Youth Worker, OK Club Kilburn Youth workers at the Granville Plus Arts Centre Dan Thompson, Empty Shops Network, has carried out an arts programme in my area Sharyn Farnan, MakeSpace, co-design with commmunities to transfrom empty spaces Over 30 teenagers at the OK Club from ages 12-22. 10 teenagers from the American School of Dubai.  Held an identity brainstorm with 5 adult respondents.

Artifact 4 Identi-tee: Girl Guide leader, Sandra Kitchen Brown Owl, Patricia Rose Vanessa Jarrett, Therapist, regarding identity issues and young people Over 15 Girl guides from ages 12-17.  Ami Ghadia, Youth Worker, Clapham, currently completing an Art Therapy Masters. Musical Arts Workshop: Viola Newbury, Actor and Educational Performer Simon Porter, Performance Poet Identity and Homelessness: Depaul UK Willesden Hostel, Steps House and Crash Pad

DRAFT Synopsis Submission

How can teenagers be encouraged to develop their personal identities through creative critical reflection?

My aim was to develop creative, positive and enjoyable workshops where young people can discuss society, culture, values, dreams and aspirations, engaging with their personal identities and role within their communities in a constructive way. 

The physical, psychological and social changes experienced by adolescents lead psychologists to regard adolescence as a critical period for self and identity development (Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1987).  The Identi-tee workshops are designed to encourage young people to reflect on their sense of self and community, enabling them to become confident individuals and become responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society. 

Although there has been some recent interest in the development of social identity (e.g., Bennett & Sani, 2004), most research has been conducted with children, and researchers have assumed adolescents to be equivalent to adults (Ruble et al., 2004; Sani & Bennett, 2004). 

Personal wellbeing is a non-statutory part of the National Curriculum for 11-16 years olds, including elements such as personal identity, healthy lifestyles, relationships and diversity: key to helping young people develop their identities, feel confident, embrace change, recognize and manage risk, take responsibility for themselves and contribute in a positive nature to their communities. 

Dewey (1933) talked about the value of critical reflection in education: it ‘gives attention to one’s experiences and behaviours, and meanings are interpreted from them to inform future decision-making… reflective action is an extremely useful tool for addressing social and emotional issues, especially those relating to race and culture’. 

Identi-tee explores how creative critical reflection can be used in contemporary society to help teenagers build an awareness of self and identity in relation to both their culture and their community, in turn it looks at ways for teenagers and their communities to work collectively to produce work that reflects their experiences and the places they live. 

During the workshops, young people collaborate to discuss themselves, their relationship, their society and their environment, and how all these components affect sense of self.  The key themes of personal wellbeing are developed and explored through creativity and reflection:

CREATIVITY Producing artefacts, experimenting with ideas, materials, tools and techniques, taking risks and learning from mistakes.

REFLECTION Exploring the visual, tactile and other sensory qualities of their own and others’ work, identifying how values and meanings are conveyed, developing views and expressing reasoned judgment, analysing and reflecting on their work and the work of others.

(The results of the above interactions have been noted in my blog and can be seen in my exhibition).

I hope that these workshops could lead to developments in the field of personal identity in adolescences, its importance, and change it from a non-statutory component of the national curriculum, leading to widespread use of the workshops in schools and youth groups.

Identi-tee is on going, there are further workshops in 2012, using drama, singing and dance to aid critical reflection, as well as workshops on other key topics, such as relationships or diversity. 

During my research I have become extremely passionate about helping young people who have suffered homelessness.  Homelessness poses a real risk to identity, the social stigma and negative status associated with being homeless combined with 'hearthlessness', leads to a lack of attachment to and identification with temporary accommodation.  Emotional attachment to, and identification with, places is key to psychological health. Feelings of isolation, rejection and alienation is extremely common with homeless people, these in turn can lead to psychological problems in relation to identity.  Another key issue is having somewhere 'safe' for emotions and thoughts, without this 'psychological space' a person can become emotionally withdrawn and lock emotions away.  I feel there is room to investigate this using a variety of exercises developed from my findings to date. 

My exhibition has been inspired by the Fluxus movement.   Maciunas defined Fluxus products as ‘work that would occur as a result of performance activities, or as elements of participation environments.’ This resonates with what I am trying to represent; I have filled drawers with objects that represent the different workshop exercises involved in Identi-tee, reminiscent of the Fluxkits in which Maciunas collected performance-related cards, games, and ideas.

Feedback from the Guides

Last night was my last workshop with the Girl Guides, at the end of the session, I asked each girl to write something on 3 different post-its:

Green: Something they enjoyed about the workshop
Red: Something they didnt enjoy about the workshop
Yellow: Something new they learnt during the workshop

They were all extremely complimentary, as were he guide leaders, they said their wasnt any aspect of Identi-tee that they didn't enjoy.

These notes will be displayed in the exhibition.

October 2011

Time is really running out, there are literally only 5 weeks left till the exhibition!

Firstly exhibition planning, luckily everyone seems to have suddenly woken up to what is involved and has got engaged.  This has made a dramatic difference, immediately we have got more sponsors, actually money as well as goods.  The layout is seriously underway, the branding and graphics are in place, and shortly I will be able to start the PR campaign.  The website is getting there slowly, it's such hard work with so many opinions to consider.  The viral is ready though, and the facebook volunteers are doing a great job. 

Now for my project, I am finding it really hard to write down everything I have found out from testing my artefacts, the workshops, with a variety of audiences, from different backgrounds and with different age groups.  I think this is partly due to the emotional attachment I have to my project and the emotional reactions I have had to the young people I have met and their stories.  Although I really feel that what I am doing is helping the young people involved, I also feel slightly uncomfortable sharing their stories for my Masters.  I'm not sure I prepared myself for the realities of working with young people from backgrounds so different to my own.  The reason this project is so important to me is because of my personal identity journey.  Growing up in a totally white middle class area, going to a very conservative private school and my parents almost denying their background to ensure that as a family we fitted in.  I do not and never have felt English, but I can not say I am Iranian, as I know almost nothing about that culture.  I grew up feeling confused and lacking confidence in my own abilities, and only through a period of critical reflection have I grown into a more confident adult.  This period of reflection included using sketching to express myself.  A lot of my sketches relate to appearance, I think this is because as a fair skinned Iranian, my identity was even more blurred.  I start my workshops with the image of myself looking in the mirror and a featureless face staring back at me; I use this to help explain to the young people that I really didn't know who I was and explain how we will begin the process of finding out what's really important to them and how they can build on this.

There is so much more I need to do with these workshops and with the young people in my area.  Firstly the fact that the size of the groups really nearly needs to be reduced, to ensure that I can fully engage and support with each individual, and also to slightly change the group dynamics in some groups that do not particularly lend to honest and frank discussions.  I want to really build long term relationships where I can help mentor and develop these teenagers, and slowly incorporate other creative members of the community to help them with their journeys.  I really underestimated how long I would need with the groups, not just in one session, but how many repeated sessions would be  needed.  This makes me more convinced than ever that the best time to work through these issues would be at school during weekly sessions, in a period normally set aside for General Studies or Personal and Social Education. 

On a more positive note I am extremely pleased with the workshops that I have done and the creative critical reflection of the teenagers involved.  It has been difficult to record everything as a number of the young people involved can not be photographed or identified due to their complex family histories.  But I hope that I have managed to capture the most important moments and reflective periods by working with tools such as post it notes and worksheets.

I feel very proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone to work with young people without training and in an area where I knew that a larger percentage of the teenagers would have had difficult situations at home.  I did not have previous experience in running workshops or working with young people, yet I feel I have managed to successfully engage with a number of young people and have helped them produce T-shirts that represent a variety of important elements, such as:
Personal Identities
Relationships
Diversity
Values
Aspirations
This is done through the use of critical reflection, and a variety skills and processes.  Some of these skills are practical, such as sewing, others are more theoretical, processes that open natural doors, different in each individual, allowing them to develop more complex ideas.  Some young people do not take this step, but they all learn new practical skills, which I hope in time will benefit them.  I have been surprised by the number of teenagers that did not know how to sew, something I learned at an extremely young age, how to thread a needle and tie a knot in the thread was totally new to a lot of them.

I think my project still has a long way to go, the workshops will constantly evolve, and often evolve during the workshop itself depending on the young people involved.  I also hope in the new year to develop the music and drama based workshops. 

Wardrobe

Still no responses from any of the suppliers of the wardrobe, and nothing appropriate on Freecycle and Gumtree!

Creative Review Banner

I have spent a lot of time this week on the creative review ad, the website showcase, case studies, and preparing for the PR campaign.

Our ad will go live on Monday, and from then I hope to start sending out press releases.

We have had a lot of conversations this week over email about our sponsors, Nokia, Swatch and Natwest.  So far as none are confirmed I have not written a press release to announce our exhibition, but as soon as they are, I will prepare something to be signed off.  We have at last also found a drinks sponsor!!

Images from Identi-tee Workshop

New York

I went to New York for the weekend, popped into the Guggenheim and MoMA, wandered around, all good for inspiration.

I was drawn by Fluxus and George Maciunas, he defined Fluxus products as work that would occur as a result of performance activities, or as elements of participation environments... I really felt this resonated with what I am trying to represent in the exhibition of my workshops.

I especially thought that the wardrobe idea, and filling the drawers with things to represent the different workshop exercises was reminiscent of his Fluxkits or Fluxus boxes, in which Maciunas collected printed cards, games, and ideas, these were all placed in small wooden boxes.  Examples below:

Dimensionalising the workshops

I have spent most of this weekend contacting the company that makes the children's wardrobe I would like to use for my exhibition to no avail.  I have also contacted all the UK suppliers of this wardrobe.  I have signed up to all the Freecycle groups in my area, in the hope that someone else is throwing out a children's wardrobe, and have been checking Gumtree ads. 

Reflection since last workshop

There is so much to think about after everything encounter with a new group of young people.  Each individual is just that, and I find it extremely difficult to spread myself across the whole group to ensure everyone gets the most they can.  I feel that smaller groups would probably work better.  Not only are we discussing, thinking and developing quite complex thoughts and feelings, but the young people are also learning new skills.  I have been surprised by the lack of craft skills in this peer group.  Only one new how to sew, and most of them had not used a lot of the craft materials I had bought with me.  They each have such interesting stories and backgrounds, and with more one on one time I feel I could really help them reflect deeply on their identities and communities.  All exercises have worked extremely well, there was a good mix of fun and concentration, however, they all take so much longer than you think they will.  I also underestimated the effect of group dynamics.  As this group was one that has been meeting regularly for some time, I thought that would all be at ease with each other and feel confident to express themselves in front of the group.  Some of the girls are extremely confident, but others painfully shy, and in a large group it is difficult to look after everyone's needs.  I found it easy to develop a good rapport with the girls, and feel confident that they enjoy my company and are listening to what I am saying.  I would really enjoy working longer term with each group to develop each element of personal identity in more detail.  I would also like to develop my previous idea of music-based workshops, as music, singing and dancing are extremely important to this peer group, led by their love of celebrity and pop stars. 

Identi-tee Images from Workshops

Sketches for our ad campaign

Exhibition layout - draft

I've sketched something up in illustrator for the group, now that I know wxactly how many places are needed.  This version gives more space than the initial 1mx1m the venue team suggested. Each person gets 1.8 square metres. 

Possible exhibition ideas

Possible plans for the exhibition space

Exhibition synopsis

The below is my first draft 350 words to be used in the exhibition/catalogue:

Identi-tee explores how creative critical reflection can be used in contemporary society to help teenagers build an awareness of self and identity in relation to both their culture and their community, in turn it looks at ways for teenagers and their communities to work collectively to produce work that reflects their experiences and the places they live. 

A strong sense of self and place can allow young people to feel confident, embrace change, recognise and manage risk, take responsibility for themselves and contribute in a positive nature to their communities.  

A central aspect of Identi-tee was encouraging encounters between teenagers, designer makers and local people of different generations leading to rich experiences and helping young people develop expertise, understanding, communication skills, confidence and awareness to create stronger families and communities.  These encounters can have a positive affect on the teenagers involved, allowing them to reflect on and develop their hopes, dreams and aspirations. 

Workshops were run with youth organisations, allowing young people to collaborate and discuss themselves, their relationships, their society and their environment, and how all these components affect sense of self.  

Key themes of personal wellbeing were developed and explored through creativity and reflection, the results of which can be seen in my exhibition.

These workshops could lead to developments in the field of personal identity in adolescences, its importance, and change it from a non-statutory component of the national curriculum, which could lead to widespread use of the workshops in schools and youth groups.

Exhibition layouts

Today I have sketched up a number of possible floorplans for the exhibition, I ended up doing this manually, but hopefully I have found the best combination, well definitely better than the initial 1m x 1m spaces the venue team allowed.

Exhibition wardrobe

Today I have been emailing furniture companies all day asking for sponsorship.  I have found the type of child's wardrobe I would really like to use to create my exhibition piece, and am hoping someone might give me one for free! Fingers crossed..

Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–1990

Yesterday I went to the Postmodernism exhibition at the V&A. 

I found it really interesting, I loved the use of neon lights, acrylic and music, the space really took you into another world, the curious one of postmodernism. 

Notes from workshop

Tutorial - First of the last term

Exhibition idea

Workshop Iterations

Identi-tee - further iteration post feedback

This weekend I ran another workshop, which has led to some further iterations of the Identi-tee project, which I would like to implement on Wednesday for the Girl Guides, and then get their feedback on the changes. I have removed a number of exercises that werent very popular, and also every exercise takes so much longer than anticipated that I need the extra time. 

Session 1
 
Introduction and name labels - Whole Group

I will introduce myself, explain I am interested in people, how they see themselves, how they portray themselves and how they interact in their communities.  Explain about my course and the exhibition briefly.  Explain about the creation of the T-shirt, show examples, explain we will only start this today, not finish it.  I will be helping them develop some ideas that they will use on their t-shirts through a series of exercises, to which there are no right or wrong answers.  Any questions?
I will encourage the group to make their own sticky name labels, with felt tips and stickers, as individual as they want.

(10 mins)

Warm-up - Pairs

In pairs, the young people must say 1, 2, 3, back and forth within the pair.

Person A) - 1
Person B) - 2
Person A) - 3
Person B) - 1
Person A) - 2
Person B) -3
...
etc...

Then Person A) replaces 3 with their name, and Person B) does the same when they get number 3, they both say 1 and  normally, try getting faster and faster.

At the end of this discuss how their names just become sounds once repeated this many times, and so what do their names actually mean to them, what does it say about them?  Ask them what they think my name says about me, what assumptions do they make?  Do they identify with their names, is it really who they are?

At this point we will create some name labels for their actual T-shirts, they can do this in anyway they like.  This allows them to start their T-shirts, as I have found some of the younger members of the group are quite eager to do this. 

(20mins)

Who am I? - Whole group

As a group we discuss what they understand by the word Culture and the word Identity.  They write the ideas down on post its and I put them up for the group. Hand out A3 sheets with T-shirt outline, which allows them to note down anything on the paper t-shirt that they might like to put on their real t-shirt.

Discuss how people's self image can be influenced by other people.

Finally ask the group to shout out and write on post it notes elements that they feel make up their identity e.g. family, friends, interests, ethnicity, appearance, beliefs, values, choices etc.  What makes them who they are?

(10mins)

Break/Quick game - Whole group

Give each person a post-it note and pen, explain they have 30 seconds to draw a picture of themselves on it.  Give them 30 seconds.  Stop them and then share with the group, discuss who different everyone's picture is, some people will have drawn their faces, their bodies, discuss how everyone sees themselves differently and how we all interpret instructions differently.  

(5mins)

Brand Identity - Whole group collectively 

Show the group the brand alphabet, see how many they recognise.  Discuss how brands have an identity and what do they associate with some of these brand identities?  Apple, cool, IBM boring etc
Top 3 brands, coolest brands, favourite etc...

(5mins - optional exercise depending on length of workshop)

Break/Quick game - Small groups

Mix the groups up again, give them each a pile of magazines and speech bubble post it notes.  Each group is to look through the advertisements, and examine one of the following topics: how men's grooming products are associated with toughness, how women's products are associated with femininity or how age is treated in our culture.  Use the bubble post its to write remarks on the people in the adverts about what they are portraying.  Share with the group.  Guide the discussion on why these messages are set this way, what it means and how they feel about them. Discuss airbrushing and fake eyelashes etc.

(5/10mins)

10 Things you love - Whole group individually

Hand out worksheets, then ask the group to list 10 things they love, these can be people, objects, belongings, food, music, anything... no right or wrong, no silly answers.

(5mins)

Near end of first session, end with everyone choosing some pieces they would like to put on their T-shirts, and putting them in a labelled envelope.  Ask them all to bring in anything they would like to add to their T-shirts.   


Session 2


Hopes, Dreams, Aspirations - Whole group

Ask everyone to write down an aspiration on a brightly coloured tag, these can be shared with the group or be private.  Then tie them onto a helium balloon and go outside to release them. 

(10mins)

Main Activity : Identi-tee - Whole group individually

Each person to create a T-shirt that visually and externally represents their sense of self, their communities, families, hopes, dreams and aspirations.   Provide all the necessary equipment, materials, help and support.  Show example T-shirts created by other creatives, discuss the elements they see.  Begin session and ensure everyone is spoken to individually to help with progress. 

 (45mins)

Share work - whole group

Reflect and discuss together


(5mins) 

Clarify achievements - whole group


What have we achieved, what skills have we built? Everyone to say one thing they have done in the session they are proud of.  

(2-5mins)

Feedback

Ask the group to give feedback on which exercises they enjoyed and why, and what ones could be changed etc.  

(2-5mins)