Never Work With Children!

It's been far too long since my last post! I thought it was about time for another!

Well, so far in the RPP unit a lot has happened. My original proposal was going to be be; Art as a Way of Combating Stress in High Achieving Pupils.

It linked in well with my fascination of art therapy and was at one point on track. I had found a school, sent my proposal, planned "lessons", made up questionnaires and researched quite a lot of material...for a change, I was ahead of my game!

But then...it all came crashing down. I hadn't really considered the ethical implications and the school asked if I had ethics board clearance and what I could offer in the way of counselling if any psychological issues arose for the pupils...

SHIT!

That was pretty much my reaction for several days...sandwiched between panic and despair!

To make matters worse...along came half term, making any communication with the school difficult. Children eh? Maybe I should have looked into adult education!

So, last week, the realisation had dawned on me that I was going to have to rethink my whole project. I decided to take out any art therapy/psychological element in my research proposal and try out something new (and with only 3 weeks left- out of 10!)

I still intend to do work shops with the pupils although now they will be art sessions not art therapy and I will observing the effects that non-curriculum art can have on these high achieving pupils.

Now half term is over, all day I've been refining my questionnaire, attempting to re-do my proposal and writing a parent/guardian permission letter for all pupils who will be participating.

The sessions will be fun (I hope!) as I'm going to buy a book for each student and let them manipulate it! This will fit in with my own practice too! I'm hoping also to get parental permission to exhibit their work alongside mine at my MA show!

I'm looking forward to the sessions as they will also be good practice for me if I do intend to go into teaching eventually and I can always apply to do a PhD and do art therapy research in the future. At least all the problems I've had will enable me to be better prepared in the future and will give me a fair bit to write about in my evaluation at least!

So that was my quick update!

On the creative practice side of things I've made a little progress, I used glue to stick together 6 books to create a kind of book sculpture, then I painted it with white acrylic. It had been sitting in my studio for weeks as I had no idea where to take it next.

Last Friday I decided to paint onto it and began painting an image of red riding hood. It has given me several ideas;

1. Make a series of "sculptures" similar and paint scenes from my favourite books onto them (maybe fairy tale related?! Or to highlight narrative of a singular book?)

2. Make a shelf then use a book sculpture as a book end? Perhaps with new spines painted on to look like books?

3. To paint images on my sculpture, document them photographically and then paint over in white acrylic only to begin the process again (to highlight the layers of meaning maybe?)

I will post an image of the red riding hood sculpture soon, so watch this space!

Return to Textiles...Maybe

Linda informed me today of another artist who might interest me;
Michelle Holden

Her work reminded me that I never did get round to stitching or sewing pages! Or experimenting with textiles at all- this is quite displeasing as I quite enjoy sewing and it'd be nice to pay my poor neglected sewing machine a visit! It's had less use than my poor obsolete Game Cube...(I'm so sorry GC, I still love you...but me and the Wii are so much happier together!). I will at some point experiment with this!

Today I also went to a counselling session which has urged me to restart the whole art therapy thing again...I'm in two minds still, but then, I always am! Think I'll try some tonight after I finish my task for the RPP unit (that's Researching Professional Practice don't you know!). RPP seems like it's going to be a pretty intense unit, so I may not have as many blog posts in these next 10 weeks, I shall endeavour to make the effort though! I need to make the necessary arrangements and begin my proposal also! Eek! So much to do!

Oh, I'll end this with something which amused me for hours the other day:

Crazy Signs!

How Dusty!

Six word stories- I made these by re-arranging words that I found and cut out of a book.


Last-minute improvisation,
That would be murder.


Most generous,
The forces of nature.


Armchairs,
Fresh rye bread,
My pleasure.


Certain objects,
Bitter memories,
You...Me...


Curious pot of honey,
Uncertain orange.


Borrowed Poetry: These "poems" were created by arranging then re-arranging words from a book.


A glass of milk, how dusty,
My throat...a touch of brandy!


Curious eyes,
Drifted,
Seeking employment,
Nevertheless,
Repay your debts.


Milk sour,
Ragged tramps,
Blood-red,
The crow's nest.

Yet More Useful "Word-y" Links...

Some sites that I used to research Dadaist poetry and the cut and paste method which I used in my work.

Wikipedia Entry- Found Poetry



Found Poetry Website which was particular useful



Dadaist Poetry- Links in with my Nietzschean poetry



Language is a Virus Website



Article from the above website



Gonzo Journalism - Hunter S. Thompson



Six Word Stories

More Pictoral Destruction...

I am Emma-Jane, Destroyer of Books!

Could I ever "destroy" a book I love?

...I still don't think so, but what I wonder is...

Why not?!

I need to overcome this...

Or do I?!

I can't live up to Libre Libris Eversor!

I am not a true destroyer of books...

Confused...

What to do next................... ?

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simulating the Unknown Into the Known

There is no edge to language...

There are no truthes or privileged vantage points when it comes to seeking knowledge, just different perspectives. Nietzsches perspectivism may seem contradictory as it is impossible for his view to be true is it is merely a perspective. All metaphysical truthes are illusory or metaphorical.

Anything we can conceptualise or articulate is an approximation, a falsehood that hides itself under a cloak of language. They are illusions that we have convientely forgotton are illusions. We in a sense, trick ourselves because it is practical and convienient given the nature of communication with one another.

We can claim to know about concepts as things in themselves, for example when we talk of a book we claim to possess knowledge that it is a book, however we can only possess concepts that make up a book like 'words' and 'pages' then in turn possess these individual concepts. What makes up words? or pages? letters? and so on. We only have metaphors for everything. Everything is a metaphor for something else.

Metaphors are covered in concepts, for Nietzsche we must realise that we have forgotton that concepts consist of various metaphorical constructs.

By creating new narratives from an existing one as I do within my work, I am intentionally trying to illuminate Nietzschean perspectivism. There is no truth as such, only relative truthes. We utilise 'truthes' in order to convince ourselves that we possess knowledge. Everything is a metaphor! This is also what inspired my Nietzschean poetry. Books and Nietzsche's work are both things which interest me and as such I hold very dear. This forms the basis for the work I am doing. I feel my playfulness is also something which is influenced heavily by Nietzsche's indulgence in wordplay!

Of course my work is also a comment about myself and the value judgements I place upon literature, highlighting my own snobbery and elitism, which I do not and will not make excuses for! So there! (If you could capture me photographically at this moment, you would see me childishly poking out my tongue!)