Artists’ Toolkit
Coming to ESW was my first experience of the workshop and it was an unforgettable and valuable memory for me.
Before the experience, I learnt about Toolkits and Artists’ Toolkits in the handbook, which can be understood as a guideline and action plan that helps members of an organisation to achieve a common goal. Artists’ Toolkits, on the other hand, are for artistic assignments, where materials and instructions are included. At first, I didn’t understand what the Toolkits meant, I just thought they were similar to the material tools used in making crafts, but after the workshop experience, I had a better understanding of the toolkits.
The studio is located behind a cafe. The environment is very quiet and beautiful, and the venue is very spacious after entering. Naomi and two other teachers gave us a detailed introduction to the contents and ways of practice. Because the teacher spoke fast, many details were not understood, which made me a little nervous about the following activities. At first, Dami and I played a game similar to “The Blind Men and the Elephant” in China. After the teacher explained the process, we started our own exploration. I was covered with a lovely handmade handkerchief, and Dami led me to artistic perception very gently and patiently. After that, this handkerchief became my souvenir! I am extremely happy!
Next, we had a communication device recovery project. The setting of the story was very heartwarming and the hand-drawn style was cute, I particularly liked the colour scheme. The project was very imaginative. Dave and Shuwen helped me to make a signal station like a little monster, which was filled with colourful flags. It looked easier and more interesting than imagined. Zoe’s dinosaur mirror is also perfect. It has a sense of design and is really cool.
Finally, we tried painting with playdough in a red box, I came out so ugly that no one else, including myself, could tell what I had drawn. I admired Dave and Zoe, their drawings of puppies and dinosaurs were very vivid. We ended the session with a roundtable discussion. During the discussion, the teacher told us about the origins of the workshop and the meaning of art practice.
After this workshop, I learnt that I need to be actively involved in the creation of art. I was always told that I was not very hands-on, that I was not practical and that I had no design skills, so I had no confidence in myself. ll the teachers here are friendly and patient, which helps me realize the joy of hands-on practice.
I also realised that we were not just here to experience these basic art tasks for children and adults, but also to think about the meaning of open learning, which is a form of education turning that gives us more inspiration to make art.
Finally, these experiences also provide the basis for us to produce our own projects. Not only did we get to experience the art task as a student, but we also had to think about how we could make one of these art tasks for our audiences from it. Therefore, I think this ESW trip was really amazing.
