This lesson is suitable for students in : Secondary/JC
Artwork title: Trace
Name of artists: Tan Siang Yu , Grace Ong, Lorraine Lee
Possible Guiding Questions for discussing art
- Describe what you observe in this work. What do the lines and textures remind you of? Can you find recurring patterns and underlying layers?
- Why do you think the artists entitled the work “Trace”? What do you think is the artists’ intention of the work? What made you say that?
- What is the difference between the drawing and the accompanying video? What impact does each have on you? How important is process to the artists compared to the product of the artwork?
Possible lesson ideas for making art
Idea 1: What’s My Trace?
Students to create a Google Earth pathway showing the “Trace” of a chosen item/object/food (e.g. from consumption to disposal). They will link their Google Earth placemarks to articles, websites and other resources showing where they sourced their information. From their research, they are able to trace the “livespan” of the chosen item/object/food from its production to waste/scrap material/recycled material. Students will be asked to present their findings and discuss with the class with regards to their own impact on the natural environment and habitat.
Following that, they are asked to trace the journeys that they make in a week, and map out their own “carbon” footprints. They could draw on a neighbourhood or school map and share how the waste they created have made any impact/contribution (whether positively or negatively) to the environment. This could be linked to a Social Studies (Geography) lesson.
For lower levels, teachers can also link this thematic concern with specific art-making skills and art forms, where the objective is to apply research skills into an area of environmental concern and visually communicate the understanding in the medium introduced.
For upper levels, teachers may scaffold the lesson to have students use any medium to respond to the research. Teachers may also provide basic materials and have students intuitively respond to the findings of the research by briefly manipulating the materials and presenting the decisions behind their manipulations.
Possible Guiding Questions for discussing art
- Describe what you observe in this work. What do the lines and texture remind you of? Can you find recurring patterns and underlying layers?
- Why do you think the artists entitled the work “Trace”? What do you think is the artists’ intention of the work? What made you say that?
- What is the difference between the drawing and the accompanying video? What impact does each have on you? How important is process to the artists compared to the product of the artwork?
Possible lesson ideas for making art
Idea 2: Tracing Roots
Students could be asked to uncover the history of a place, through researching archival photographs, maps, photographs, objects etc. They could also use their imagination to extrapolate to the future of that place. Using a mix of found images, their own drawings and photographs, students could make time-lapsed video documenting the history of the place.
- Students will be able to learn the history of the area they researched into and learn how to appreciate the need for documentation of culture.
- They will learn to source for information independently and creatively (eg: ask people who have history living in the area before)
- Learn pacing in stringing mixed media together to form a time-based work (4D artwork)
Alternatively, they could also explore studying the history of things such as cars, fashion etc to create videos. This could be linked to a Social Studies (History)/GP lesson.
References:
“Singapore Slider: Then & Now” is an online feature in Straits Times that documents
how places in Singapore have changed over the years.
“Singapore Memory Project” is an online portal for documenting memories of people, places in Singapore
http://www.singaporememory.sg/
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