CDDiR | Cultural Digital Designer in Residence Project
Another outward facing project I’ve taken part in is my ‘Cultural Digital Designer’ Residency at Falinge Park High School in Rochdale, beginning in early December I handled the project alongside the Practice Unit, and its still ongoing at the moment. Run by the Ideas Foundation, the residency aims to show pupils the importance of digital design and the career opportunities that arise from it, in conjunction with up skilling members of staff from the partnership school and giving them the skills and knowledge to carry on using into the future.
I applied for the residency because I felt it important for pupils at school to know how diverse textile design is, because when I was at school I had no idea. I think its important for me also to learn how to share my skills and knowledge, in this case with Adobe Illustrator and Laser Cutting, in terms of adapting to different audiences, as I believe this is a transferrable skill that will I will benefit from in the future.
The interview process was a fantastic opportunity for me to learn to summarize my practice and the way I work in a few PowerPoint slides. With a large panel of 8 to 9 conducting my interview it was very daunting at first but I was well prepared and felt I managed to answer questions properly.
Finding out I had been successful with my application kick started a whirlwind of launch days, planning days and preparation trips on which I worked alongside Gaynor Brookes, a geography teacher from FPHS and our cultural partner, the Canals & Rivers Trust.
Calling our project ‘REUSE | RECYCLE | RESPECT’, we worked together to plan a scheme of work that combines digital design skills with geography knowledge, to create legacy pieces inspired by and recognizing the impact of environmental damage on the Rochdale Canal. Working with 15 Year 8 pupils from FPHS, the aim is to design and create sculptures inspired by an initial field trip to Lock 49 along the canal, where the pupils will partake in a canal dredge. My main role within the project was to provide workshops based at the school, which focus on applying hand and digital art and design techniques to create the sculptures.
The workload for this project has been quite intense, from writing a detailed project overview, to planning lessons, workshops, visiting the school, presentations, worksheets, risk assessments, organizing day trips to the Rochdale canal and organizing a visit to MMU, all while keeping to deadlines from the Ideas Foundation, it has been really important for me to be very organized and consistent with keeping in contact with Gaynor, and the plans we had.
I have gained a real insight into what it really means to be a teacher, and I found some aspects a challenge. Preparing relevant activities for the 4 workshops I ran was difficult at first as I have never worked with children before and wasn’t sure how strong my group would be, I didn’t want them to feel patronized by ‘easy’ activities but I also didn’t want to put too much pressure on them either. It was hard to keep a steady balance within the workshops as some children worked quicker than others. For example, in my second workshop, which focused on learning the basics of Adobe Illustrator and translating drawings into a digital format, I started by showing the whole group on the big screen every step and waited while they worked at the same pace. For some pupils, this was all they needed to get started, however others struggled and I had to go around and give them one-on-one help. While I was helping people individually, I told the pupils who were ahead of schedule to work on adding more detail to their drawings. This worked well as I think the pupils enjoyed seeing their drawings come to life even more on their screens by adding textures.
CDDIR | Adobe Illustrator step by step guide I made | 2017
As I am obviously a younger generation it was difficult to keep an authoritative stance towards the pupils while carrying out the workshops, because I also think its really important to chat to them to make them feel comfortable enough to ask me any questions. Towards the end of the project I know that the pupils felt at ease around me, although it was also clear that they respected me. It was strange to have 15 pupils look up to me, calling me ‘Miss’ especially when they would stare at me in awe when I could do something on Adobe Illustrator so much quicker than them! They would ask me, ‘How do you even do that?’ and I let them know that its definitely from a lot of practice. Towards the end of the project it was really fulfilling to see their skills and confidence while on the computers grow, and know that it was down to me.
A highlight of the project was definitely when the pupils came on a trip to Manchester School of Art on the 21st of March. They all had the opportunity to watch their designs come to life on the laser cut machines, and I also gave them a tour of the art school, on which they interacted with students around the art school, asking them questions about their work and where they see themselves in the future.
CDDIR | MSoA Visit Day | Giving the pupils a tour of the textiles studios
CDDIR | MSoA Visit Day | In the Laser Cut workshop with the pupils
CDDIR | A couple of the pupils with their final laser cut sculptures, inspired by the geese we saw on the Rochdale Canal
Although I don’t see myself being a teacher in the future, this experience has definitely demonstrated the importance of sharing skills. In relation to my practice and career prospects, this project has influenced me to carry on sharing knowledge and giving workshops. For example, Jane Bowler is a designer whose brand encompasses more than just a fashion label, aiming to inspire others through workshops and teaching, a path I can see myself taking one day.
https://www.falingepark.com/digital-designer-in-residence-school-session-1-with-the-canals-trust/
https://www.falingepark.com/digital-designer-in-residence-geography-art-project/
