pARTicipe! | A primary school gets a makeover
Beatriz Klewais
The pARTicipe! project experiments with new ways of collaborating around culture. This happens in experimental collaboration, where a group of children or teens from a youth organisation or (broad) school is being supervised.
In this context, Lasso set up a collaboration with De Muziekladder, a primary school with a focus on dance, music, visual arts and drama. Due to the coronavirus measures however, it was unclear for a long time whether and when the project could start... Until the management and teacher Karolien gave the go-ahead in early 2021. By letting the children work together around shared interests, they hoped to positively influence the group dynamics within the class. They also realised that it was high time for new stimuli and space for musical activities.
Lies and Beatriz (Lasso) organised a BabbelArt session to identify the cultural interests and talents within the class group. There was discussion, a vote and... a unanimous decision to get creative with textiles! With this focus in mind, Beatriz researched which organisations were active in the neighbourhood of the school. Together with teacher Karolien, she mapped out an artistic trajectory. Several potential partners were contacted, resulting in a collaboration with costume and set designer Leila Boukhalfa.
Throughout May, weekly workshops were held at the school. During the first workshop, the children experimented with cyanotype: a photographic process that produces a cyan blue print after development. A brainstorming session arose about possible end results on natural fabrics such as cotton, silk or leather. This led to the idea of making beanbags for the attic room of De Muziekladder, a large tent or sail for the garden and personalised flags with their portraits to hang in the classroom.
During the next three workshops, they further developed these ideas and tried out lots of new materials and techniques. Shapes were copied from cyanotypes and cut out on flock foil, then ironed onto beanbags. These were then finished with textile paint and stencils. By melting plastic together, known as 'fusing' to those in the know, the pupils made a tent canvas measuring eight metres long! They could then give free rein to their imagination: rainbows, flowers, seas with swimming fish and more abstract shapes were created. Meanwhile, work continued on the flags. Each flag was to feature a portrait of a pupil. Unfortunately, the technique did not work so well here, due to insufficient sunlight and fabric that was too thick.
On the last day of the project, the children set up in the playground garden. Everything they had made over the past month came together in one place for the first time, which had a huge impression on them. They exhibited their work, gave guided tours to other classes and ended with a well-deserved reception.
Leila, teacher Karolien and the pupils all look back positively on the pilot project. The pupils went through a growth process that bore fruit. Children who normally never worked together now sought each other out and discovered new talents such as sewing and ironing. It also allowed them to take their minds off things during this difficult coronavirus period and step into a creative world without too many rules about what they could and couldn't do. So that 'stupid coronavirus year' unexpectedly turned into a school year full of fond memories after all...