Values and Ethics in Teaching
Todays session was based on reading and discussion around a chosen article.
The article our group chose to read was the research Paper ‘Drawing Laboratory’: Research workshops and outcomes
Published 2018-10-31 by Michelle Salamon
https://sparkjournal.arts.ac.uk/index.php/spark/article/view/99/
The paper was centred around DRAWING AS MEMORY and its use as a research tool for developing thinking, improving concentration and enhancing memory.
The paper noted that since the times of de Boisbaudran (1848), drawing has been considered a vital technical skill, essential to the role of the artist whose work predominantly centres on observations. The opening line of John Berger’s On Drawing is written in capital letters: ‘FOR THE ARTIST DRAWING IS DISCOVERY.’ (Berger, 2012, p.3). Berger argues that drawing is an efficient tool for enhancing experience, especially when viewed as ‘an autobiographical record of one’s discovery of an event- seen, remembered or imagined’ (ibid).
Drawing also acts as a way to approach complex attitudes towards our memories. ‘Emotional arousal and personal involvement in an event seem to be two factors that have a large impact on the likelihood that a vivid memory can be maintained over time’ (Holland and Kensinger, 2010, p.11).
The paper then added evidence that drawing is essentially a personal activity that can invoke emotional arousal. The act of making a drawing to document an event or experience can help maintain a vivid memory of the experience itself. The experience of making a drawing becomes part of the experience of remembering and so, combines the act of remembering with the raw memory.
We then each had to present a group summary of our article to the neighbouring group.
The neighbouring group presented their reading which was “Escobar, A. (2018) Designs for the Pluriverse – Introduction
File (https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/1535648/mod_resource/content/1/Introduction.pdf)
The book centred around Social context and design and highlighted four key areas:
- Design is everywhere (It is human nature to design things)
- Social context is important in design
- Design can make a difference
- Everyone designs and is a collaborative event
The summary discussion included points such as the construction of uniformity. The book was based of years of study of living conditions in Latin American countries. It also covered the historical and cultural background, civilisation and great transitions as well as covering community.
Readings Escobar’s introductory text basically presented the bulk of the cultural evidence as to ‘Why?’ Why was this happening? Why Now? Why here?
This discussion immediately struck a chord with me, especially being seated at LCC in Elephant and Castle, merely glancing out of the window and witnessing the hypergentrification of the area, which is design based capitalism.
Tearing down low income housing with no provision or desire to replace it and changing the very nature of the area. It lead to further discussion on emotive subjects like cladding around Grenfell and other such capitalism based design projects and the danger of this pattern of thinking.