As my school did not give me any schemes of work, I was granted complete freedom to teach my own ideas, but this meant I was constructing several of my own schemes of work from scratch, with no real template or example I could use to reference. This project is a year 8 pattern project, which I adjusted to explore ideas around culture through postmodern polyprinting, with primary reference to Takashi Murakami.
Theme: Pattern
This blog post will record how my ideas developed, from observing the first lesson, into going on to teach the class, drawing a narrative towards a finished goal. My complete Scheme of work will be added underneath this uncertain section of thoughts I had at the beginning of the project, so please do scroll down to that section to see more deliberated and succinct descriptions of this scheme of work.
Student Brief: colour, collaboration, 2-D
I used this first lesson, to discuss with the class what type of work they would be interested in creating together. As I was desiging something from scratch, specifically for this class, making it bespoke to their itnerests will facilitate investment.
Established page -
So far this term, students have completed one double page spread and work relating to Pattern (The overarching theme of the SoW), I will also be using this Scheme of Work to complete the Politics of representation ITAP, fulfilling these principles of inclusion and anti-racist pedagogy.
Charles Mcgee
An African American artist known for creating paintings, assemblages, and sculptures.
Students have created one or two A4 pages with patterns inspired by McGee, using fine-liner pens on paper.
If I had to adapt this part of the project further, I would encourage students to create relief drawings as you can see in this image behind the artist here. I would also develop the 'theme' of the pattern, beyond an artist study and into something more formulated. Students in this class were 'unsure' of why they're choosing the patterns that they are. I believe with a theme, we can encourage adaptive responses. McGee engaged with images of culture and so asking students to reflect on and representing their own cultures through patterns might be a more inclusive way to celebrate the artist and acknowledging his culture in the reception and reproduction of his patterns.
Takashi Murakami
First lesson: Introduction to Murakami - Video intro - title page, and associations with Emojis
Second Lesson: Information about Murakami - reading/video task and developing ideas around emojis - coming up with designs for Poly-print project.
Information about the artist:
When Takashi Murakami first came to New York in the ‘80s, he was unsure of his place in the contemporary art world. His insecurity was fuelled from memories growing up in post-WWII Japan, a time when Japan’s future was lodged in uncertainty from the ongoing terror of nuclear destruction. He marvelled at artists such as Anselm Kiefer who explored themes of nationalism, Julian Schnabel who experimented with materials, and picked up visual cues from Basquiat and Koons, who used American pop cultural imagery as a platform for commentary.
Three decades later, we see an evolved artist: an artist known for equally his fine art as well as commercial output who’s been called our modern-day Warhol as he works with hundreds of assistants at his Kaikai Kiki studio “factory.” His art gets reworked and commercialised as products from luxury houses to streetwear brands (he even has breath mint candies). With a mix of his training in Japanese traditional painting techniques like Nihonga, paired with a contemporary, anime approach, Takashi’s larger than life paintings, sculptures, commercial collaborations, and tchotchkes have established him as a celebrity artist that toys with the idea of being a corporate entity. This blurring of boundaries between art and commerce is a part of his signature style and art theory, Superflat.
Pattern is very important to his work. It is often used with designs such as flower and skulls to print and collage over materials.
It might be interesting to ask students to come up with their own monograms, perhaps as homework, in inspiration of his signature monogram pattern collaboration for Luis Vuitton. however as this is part of the brand identity and not neccessarilly designed by the artist so much as used by the artist, its not completely necessary.
As Murakami blurs this line between high culture and popular culture, we will use something within the language and culture of young people today to access this artistic project. We will be using emojis to create patterns that represent the students.
As of course there are many untoward associations with some emojis despite their outward innocence, it is important to only encourage students to engage with emojis that do not have such associations (sexual, violent etc).
It may be interesting to ask students to 'design their own emojis' also however. or to reimagine the emojis that we give examples of, to better reflect the student.
These emojis will not be reproduced perfectly however as we will encourage students to use lots of colours when printing them.
After establishing emojis that were appropriate, I arranged a stretch and challenge task for students to do if they had completed their four designs. This task was to design their own original emoji that represents something about them.
Additionally, I encouraged students to think about how they might be able to adapt the emojis that they have already sketched out, to develop them into designs that represent something about the students.
Takashi Murakami - Under the Radiation Falls exhibition.
Developing from the first lesson, the second lesson encouraged students to observe and adapt the emoji on the board.
Final Outcome Plan:
A2 sheets will be printed out, with a segment of an image printed really lightly onto it.
Students in groups will then print ttheir design onto the paper, placing it carefully wherever there are dark areas on the paper.
When these pieces come together, it will show clearly an image, built up with layers of emoji.
The selection of the image is essential.
It should show a clear contrast between large areas of light and dark, whilst still encouraging studenst to engage with colour, pattern and collage.
The following is my Completed scheme of work for this project:
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