Limitations Unlimited

In the process of auditing the materials at Cubitt Education, there has been the inevitable appearance of surplus and odd items that were of not much apparent use but too good to throw away.

As creative practitioners and educators we often find ourselves with limited funds and resources. However this initial challenge is regularly overcome with improvisation and adaptation skills that make the engaging in artistic practice so special.

With this in mind our Artist Educators were set the challenge in this month's session to create something out of nothing with this surplus and certainly did not disappoint.

Along with the diverse physical pieces of work produced, many ideas were formed and debated about how you could apply this exercise in an educational setting. Two examples of games devised to encourage students exploration included:

To provide a box of cards with material suggestions and a box of cards with technique suggestions for students to select at random and experiment with.

And

To play a creative version of 'pass the parcel' where each student in turn must contribute by either adding or taking away an element to a collaborative class work.

Play is one of the best tools we posses and restrictions can be positive in this context as they require you to conjure up alternative solutions to problems. It is during this avenue of enquiry and experimentation that real learning takes place.

In the New Year clear out those cupboards, play, recognise and celebrate your own or your groups ability to make those limitations unlimited!

The next session will be held at the Cubitt Education Studio, Monday 6th Feb, 6-8pm

Material Knowledge is a once a month peer-led activity held at the Cubitt Education Studio for School for Artist Educator participants, friends, artists and others.

The first session on Monday 31st October 2011 involved some hands-on exploration of bookbinding techniques, making notebooks and sketchbooks.

Future sessions will provide the opportunity to work together to think about other techniques, skills and materials to develop new ideas and skills for direct use in educational projects and artists own work.

A basic technique was demonstrated and the artists were quick in their response to create individual and innovative design if their own.

The evening was an informal yet industrious affair fuelled by tea, clementines, flap-jacks and classical music and everyone ended the session with some finished products ready for use.

The value of gathering together to share practical, social and philosophical ideas never depreciates and it is easy to see why this tradtion has stood the test of time.

The next event will be on Monday 5th Dec 2011 5-7pm.