Sustainable prospects week 1 project development
In June 2019 I started my MA with Falmouth university as part of an accredited education programme.
24th September 2019
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Sustainable prospects Project Development Week 2 – https://www.bambino-art.co.uk/sustainable-prospects-project-development-week-2/
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Over the break I decided to reread the entire P&P module , including the weekly reading assignments. This was a HUGE task as I was really busy with work, and actually probably not a very wise idea time wise, but I am SO GLAD that I did decide to do it. It is like rereading your favourite book, no matter how many times you do it, you always find something new, and unexpected, and through life experiences you always experience things in new ways.
I was really busy last module with work and my children’s exams so this is why I decided to reread everything, I wanted to be absolutely certain everything had gone in, and not just that I had read it and not retained the information. It was a great exercise and one I will certainly keep up with, as the other benefit is I understood everything so much more the second time round because of the learning that had been done and experienced throughout the module.
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This week I had my first webinar with my online tutor for this module Laura .
We did a recap of my research project and what I had done so far on the MA, and also what I was planning on doing this module.
It was great to get another view on the project, and just hearing all these different viewpoints , of different students and tutors is really illuminating. We discussed the issue I was presented with last module, of how to explain photographically the learning happening in images that can look like play. Laura thought it was a good idea to come up with an almost check list of images I would like to capture during the photoshoots, not that it isn’t alterable , or has to be stuck to rigidly, but just so that it means I have a bit of a format that I am working too.I really liked this idea as it means that I will be addressing the ‘looks like playing’ issue if I am thinking in advance about what shots I would potentially like to capture as well.
We also discussed the use of titles, quotes, or text accompanying my photographs, and the potential of using national curriculum learning outcomes alongside the photographs. This is something I will continue thinking about as I definitely don’t want to appear to be promoting the idea that the national curriculum is how we should all be learning, as that goes against the very core of certainly my beliefs as a home educator, but also many others as well, and the idea for this project is that it keeps all variants of alternative education on an equal background, and doesn’t promote one over the other. There are many people who follow the national curriculum within their homes, some in school setup type ways, and some that cover the national curriculum in inventive out of the box ways, but still follow the frame work of the national curriculum. This project has always been about showing as many varying educations as possible, and showing that all ways are valid . So whilst I do really like the idea, and it very much reminds me of Mary Kelly and the Post-partum document way of almost using scientific terminology as a base or reference for your work, it just needs lots more thought on how I could do that without it appearing that I am saying the national curriculum is the best way, or only way, or most valid way forward.
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We also discussed the potential of producing a document almost like a manifesto or statement of intent to give to parents and group/alternative school leaders that will outline what I am doing for my project, why I am doing it, what my objectives are, and my aims for the outcomes of the project.
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Laura also suggest a few photographers who’s work I could look at that had photographed their families in their practice. I’d already looked at two of them in depth, but hadn’t heard of Samira Kafala so I am going to look into her work. Laura also told me about the exhibition Birth opening at TJ Boulting on the 4th October , so I am definitely going to try and get along to that, as it looks like it is definitely along the lines of the work that I love ! http://www.tjboulting.com/exhibitionspage/512/birth—curated-with-charlotte-jansen
I haven’t been shooting at all this week, and over the break between modules I’d only produced a few images, as my paid work took over for quite a while, as did the reading, and also the face to face trip to Arles , which I will do a separate write up for as it was so informative, and really made me much more aware of what I want to achieve photographically within the MA and with this project.
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Oska & mammoth Eden project
This image was taken at the Eden project in Cornwall at the exhibition/ instillation they had on over the summer holidays. I wanted to try and convey the enormity of the task of home education, and give a visual metaphor for the huge scope of knowledge that the world has to offer.
It was pretty much pitch black in this room inbetween the lighting changes (the colour was switching between red, green, and blue.) So getting the shot was actually really hard, and the fact Oska is out of focus frustrates me no end, but then I think maybe that is an accidental metaphor , that the child is not clear, not yet ‘in focus’ and is still being moulded, growing, bought to life, if you will by the enormity of the eduction they are submerged in.