Summer School 2012
Schedule
Learning will take place over four weeks through a combination of field and studio research, action enquiry, lectures, art practice and presentation.
Students are scheduled to arrive on Saturday the 26th of May, and depart on Saturday 23rd of June.
Week One- Exploration of the landscape and its issues
During the first week, participants will be immersed in the Burren and the issues. Items for discussion will include: transformation of a forest into a rocky landscape by farmers over 5 millennia; the role of tourism; environmental/site-specific art; artists as activists. (Prior prescribed reading will have familiarised students with the background to these issues)
Learning will take place through:
- Fieldtrips in the Burren; visits to the Polnabrone dolmen; visits to mini-dolmen sites; visit to Richard Long's stone circle in the Burren.
- llustrated presentations on the archaeology, botany, folklore and biodiversity of the Burren.
- Student-led interviews of Burren stakeholders including farmers, tourists, school children.
- Reading and Discussion; Environmentally based practice; Collaborative practice; Socially engaged practice; Journaling, photography and video will be used throughout the programme.
Journaling, photography and video will be used throughout the programme.
Week Two - Reflection and responding to the issues
- Students will discuss individual findings and research and begin to formulate a variety of potential responses. Discussions and presentations on artists engaged in environmental activism and an examination of case studies will assist this process. By mid-week, students will have decided how they intend to respond individually and collectively to the issue.
- Realisation of the response will begin in the second half of this week. Work can be in any medium, be in studio or in a public space. Studio response will be facilitated by individual mentoring, provision of technical assistance and guidance in sourcing materials.
Week Three - Realising the Response: From the Individual to the
Collective
- ntense focus on completing work in studio or on-site. While students may choose to respond through individual projects, a requirement of the course will be to produce some coherent collaborative outcome that can be presented publicly to draw awareness to and help provide a solution to the issue.
Week Four - Engagement
- Students will present the finished work to the public and to stakeholders interviewed in week one. This may take the form of a public art piece, performance, gallery exhibition, film screening, mixed media event, an open forum or any response deemed effective. The quality of the finished piece will be measured by its effectiveness in engaging with the public and the level to which it brings new perspectives to solving the problem.
