Evidence of the work produced for the Interactive Seminars
Interactive Seminar 1
Task , Week 3 –
Re-Imagining Citizenship
For this task we had to choose a task from the re – imagining Citizenship Activity book, to create/ respond to, working in groups.
Image reference – http://re-imagining.org/
Ear to the ground- our response
By Jodie Thomas, Holly Turnbull and Manuella Tanem
J. Thomas
I am on the top floor of my student house, I bend down and press my ear against my laminate wooden floor. I hear the hum of three different televisions going off on three different programmes, the sound strangely merging into one. Occasionally the squeels if a house mate or two reacting to love island, breaks above the hum! In the distance the sound of moving furniture creates a layered experience, one that I can only relate to my university home.
H. Turnbull
I am in the second year textiles studio in the school of the art. I press my ear to floor and immediately hear the drop of a pencil, the sharp sound continuing until the pencil stops. I can hear the hum of the printer and the off beat slamming of the scanner lid as students print endless amounts of images to fill their boards with. There are occasional squeaks of trainers as someone suddenly rushes off to a workshop they forgot they had, leaving behind bits of disgarded paper scattered on the floor. It hits five o’clock, this is the time most people go home, I press my ear one more time to the floor and all I can hear now is the murmuring of the air conditioning weaving its way through the floor below me.
M. Tanem
I am on a middle floor in a three floor house, I have the pleasure of hearing above and below me due to the thin ceilings. As my ear is to the floor I hear clearly what my boy housemates are saying downstairs. They are raging at Mario Kart which contrasts to the consistent calm Mario music. Their Northern accent nuances becoming obvious as they compare to the third player who is southern so has different exclamations in reaction. I can tell she is winning because she doesn’t say much. This is all I can hear.
Interactive Seminar 2, Week 5 –
Part 1
For this task we were asked to create a paper based or digital pamphlet that presented something that we were for or against. Myself and Tasha created a digital pamphlet on Vegansim and the reasons why people should become Vegan.
By Jodie Thomas and Tasha Scott
Interactive Seminar 2
Part 2
Our task was to devise a new activity, similar to the ones in the re- imagining Citizenship activity book.
Tasha and i, designed a task that involved peoples personal responses to listening to a radio station.
Interactive Seminar 3, Week 7
Task –
Re-staging / Re – activating acts of resistance
In the original image, people are protesting against Margret Thatcher’s government due to the introduction of the Poll tax. This was a fixed tax per adult resident. Meaning that people were taxed more if more people were living in a house, rather than the type of house that they live In.( like today) It began as a peaceful protest and quickly became very violent. Police and firefighters were attacked with bricks and stones and many protesters were arrested. The tax’s unpopularity is considered to be a huge part of Thatcher’s downfall as she resigned later on that year.
The riots were successful as Thatcher’s successor John Mayer, dismantled the Poll Tax and it was replaced by council tax, a much fairer tax that was related to the value of the house.
We chose to edit in the current environmental movement called Extinction Rebellion as we felt that it is a very pressing issue in our current society, like this was. Making the anger and protest very similar in the image.
Interactive Seminar 4, Week 8
Task –
Imagining a desirable future – I created a visual mind map containing all the elements that i felt were key to my desired future city in the year 2050.
Interactive Seminar 5, Week 9
Task –
Field Sensing – a slow-walking practice which you can do on your own or with others as a way of sensitising you to your environment and heightening your awareness
How did it feel? What was the experience in your body of doing this?
I enjoyed the feel of the ground under my feet , I managed to let my body take control. My body felt relaxed, and calm. I found it difficult to switch off my thoughts initially but soon found it easier to tune into the sounds all around me, they started to get louder and clearer as time went on.
What did you notice about the world outside your body?
The world felt like it was protecting me, I felt cradled by nature, I was more aware of the sounds, smells and the harmony of all living things, co existing as one. I could specifically hear the buzzing of a bee and the cows in the field next too me. Two very contrasting sounds, were able to sound so calming.
How can you imagine that you might use Field Sensing in your practice OR share why you think Field Sensing is something that doesn’t feel useful to you and explain why this is?
I think field sensing, is a great way to help the body relax and feel more connected with nature. It is also a great way to switch off your thoughts and allow yourself the time to just breathe. I think inspiration could be generated by artists by using this practice as it allows a change of scenery and approach that not only relaxes, but connects the artist.
Jodie Thomas SAB935 Creative Dissent 