-
Is this because of global warming?
David and Rejao have been working everyday in my home on editing and finishing the final work of the Study trip. In Iceland and Norway we did not want to spend to much time in front of the computer editing, but use time to collect material and experience. Here in Maputo we have also been collecting interesting material to join with the material from the north.
Here above are some photos from the beach on the way to Costa do Sol. The sea is destroying the trees and the road in one place. Is this because of global warming? We hope to interview professor John Hatton, a specialist in environmental affairs, and we will ask him about this situation by the coast.
Work begins
Our work location is in the Iceland Academy of the Arts. We got the keys to the media lab in the design department and access to the equipment there.
On Monday the 28th, the first work day after Xmas, we went there in the morning and began to plan our work and program while here in the North. Over the holidays it is difficult to go for visits or have meetings/workshops with designers. So we concentrated on collecting material and generally do what is possible while people are on holiday and most places closed. The day after we went to Sorpa, the Reykjavik recycling company. We took all our cans, plastics and bottles there and received 700 kronur in return. We filmed and talked to the people working there and got explanations about how things work. There is one container there where people put stuff that is still functioning and valuable. That is sent to a shop named Góði hirðirinn (The Good Shepheard). So, after the recycling visit we went directly to the shop and David and Rejao liked it a lot. It is a second hand shop with all possible things for a cheap price. On the 30th we went to the Reykjavik Rubbish Dump in Álfsnes where all the garbage from Reykjavik is buried underground and we shot some videos and photos to keep as record of the activities there.
Then we were in holidays again, the end of the year celebrations. We enjoyed good food, fireworks and parties. Although on a mozambican scale things were very calm. Sitting for hours at the table eating and drinking without dancing until very much later. To David and Rejao, this was a very strange way to celebrate.
On the 2nd of January in the new year we travelled to Búðardalur, West of Iceland, for one night. It is beautiful there and calm… which means hardly anyone else was in the vicinity. We visited a farm close by the house we were staying in (a kind of a second house owned by friends). The only people living there are the farmers, Guðmundur and Halla, and their son and his friend (Raggi, Doris cousin) were visiting. For Mozambicans this is not possible. To live without a crowd of people and lots and lots of kids all around!
Study trip to Bilene
My class that I have been teaching this year is finishing their last year in school. Next year they will work outside the school in graphic studios in Maputo and beside that do their final project. They will come in to school once a week and I will work with them to prepare and develope their final project. The students are motivated to work and I hope for a challenging and interesting period with them.
I am used to school trips through the school years and have great memories from such trips. This class had never had a trip together. After 5 years together I thought it would be great if we could do that. It is important to create good memories from the school years.
I decided to get a permission to go for a study trip focusing on their final project. It is good for the students to begin to think about their final project before the holidays so they can use that time to collect material and develope their ideas.
I got permission to go and we went to Bilene; the class with 14 students and professor Candido, me and Xadreque (the financial director).
We were unlucky with the weather in the beginning. It was raining on friday when we left and also on saturday until around five o’clock. Mozambicans really dislike rain and it was hard to get them in the mood to work. But we managed to get some work done. The students presented their ideas for the final project and most of them already had their idea ready. The ideas were various. Some were basic graphic design projects like doing an identity and advertisement campaign for a cream, perfume, watch and a bank. Other were socially oriented; one student wants to work on racism and another one (a graffiti artist) wants to focus on public art/street art and its image. Here like probably everywhere, graffiti is looked upon not as an art and expression but sabotage and the artists do not have a space to create their work. He wants to change that. It will be interesting to see the results.
When the rain stopped we decided to have a bomfire on the beach. We had to drive around to find the firewood but we found ladies selling nice wood. It was beautiful, stary sky, guitarplay and barbequed chicken. After we made a short visit to a little discoteque in a nice ‘barraca’ area.
On sunday the weather was beautiful. Sun and warm. Some of the group went with a boat over the lake to the other side. Then we played and enjoyed life on the beach and it was difficult to decide to go home.
We had great time and created nice memories. I will really miss having this class around me every day, a great bunch! Thanks for a great trip all of you!!
A study trip to Iceland and Norway
Two of my students Rejão and David will come with us tomorrow to Iceland for five weeks over the christmas. They will go for a study trip and the task is to make documentary work; film and animation about environmental issues. Rejão is a talented illustrator and a growing animator and Davids talents lie within film, collage and conceptual work. We are hoping that they will make a good team with these different talents and the collaboration will bring out something interesting. They have already started to collect material here in Maputo and have made a short video art-work that they like to present there north. They have been focusing on garbage and pollution. These students are talented and work hard.
The project is supported by the FK program I am in on behalf of Kulturskolen i Fredrikstad and ENAV, the school I work in. The Iceland Academy of the Arts supports the project by offering facilities and teachers.
Here is the description of the project and below is a pdf documents with the project description in english and portuguese to download:
Background
Today it has become an undisputed fact that the whole world has to deal with a large environmental problem. Global warming is on the increase and an endless production of things can not be sustained. To turn to a more sustainable lifestyle it is necessary to be creative in communicating the problem and designing new ways of living. Designers and artist have the skills to motivate and open peoples eyes in a creative and effective way. Their work is to design our daily things and select materials and sources. An essential part of the environmental impact that products generate, is decided on the design stage.
This project is inspired by the work the students of ENAV did in relation to the World Wide Views on Global Warming meeting that took place in Maputo. The Students worked for one week creating an exhibition about global warming in front of the hall where the meeting took place. The weeks before the students were given lectures about global warming and shown films to gain a better understanding about the subject matter.
The students became very inspired and interested in continuing to work with environmental issues. A group of students called Bantuart is now finishing a project description of a street performance they want to make about global warming. Other students have also presented some ideas.
Hopefully it is possible to establish an interdisciplinary environmental group in the school where students in design, art, ceramics and textiles will work through the year on different projects addressing environmental issues. There are many things to address and opportunities to participate in national and international events dedicated to the environment.The project
The studytrip is meant to be an inspiration to the students in ENAV. Two students will travel to Iceland and Norway for one month. These students have a growing and promising competence in film, illustration and animation and therefore the ability to communicate their experiences in a creative way.
The students will visit places that are related to environmental issues, for example recycling and waste management. They will meet designers that work in a sustainable way and have workshops with professional people within design, film and art to train and improve their competence.
During the month before the trip the students will work on research in Maputo. They will record and collect visual material to take along and work with while on the trip in the medialabs provided.Objectives and goals
Increasing the competence of the students that will travel.Produce material that can be valuable for the Mozambican society.
To inspire the students of ENAV to address environmental issues in a creative way.
Transfer of knowledge and know-how in tackling environmental challenges.Deliverables
A film/animation from the material collected in the trip.A presentation of the trip and their experiences.
Other material will depend on the ideas that will come up during the process.Participants
MONOZI (An FK supported program):Kulturskolen i Fredrikstad
Escola Nacional de Artes VisuaisTeachers, DogS:
Soley Stefansdottir. Working as an FK participant in Maputo
Halldor Gislason. Developing a cooperation between ISAC; the new Art and Design Academy in Mozambique and KHiO; Oslo National Academy of the Arts
Iceland Academy of the Arts (Provides facilities and teachers)Students:
David Pinto Calvo Aguacheiro, graphic design student in ENAV
Rejao David de Carvalho, graphic design student in ENAVProject description
descrição do projectoInspirational lecture in relation to the final project next year
The aim of the graphic design department in ENAV is to graduate students that are capable to work as graphic designers and have the technical knowledge to execute such work. It is a challenge with the very limited equipment we have but we try to manage. In the final project they have to show that they have all the basic knowledge needed work as graphic designers.
The defense of the finalists this year was very weak, only two of the 12 students created acceptable work. Next year my students will do their final project. I hope for good work and I think they are in the mood of working well and show that they can be professional.
The last week of school I decided to invite a designer from outside to talk to the students about their final work and inspire them to begin to think about what they want to do. Ivo Jambane, a graphic designer here in Maputo came and talked to them about visual communication and campaigns. The Friday after we went to Bilene for a weekend trip. The reason for the trip was two fold; on one hand as a study trip, where each student should present their ideas about the final project and on the other hand, an end of semester school trip to create nice memories for a class that has been together for 5 years. We had a great time and I will write about the trip and put photos soon.
The photo lab in ENAV in working again
Opposite to our ‘graphic studio’ in ENAV there is a photo lab that has not been used for some years. Instead it had become a storage space for redundant computers and stuff that by now has the Maputo rubbish dump as its only destiny. There is a problem with things like computers here because there are limited recycling options in Maputo yet.
I spoke to my colleagues Moises and Candido about cleaning the lab to use it again and they agreed. Unfortunately Moises and Candido had to cancel so I was alone with the highly effective students and not so effective language (my portuguese) to control!! Luckily Dori was with me and helped out. He has a long enough memory to know what of the old stuff was possibly…maybe… useable and what was garbage. There were many computers that are too old and would cost too much to fix and we put it up in an organized pile, and then I was going to find out what was possible to do. When I came on the Monday after the younger students were all over taking everything apart to get some inside material they wanted. It was a bit shocking for me and I have to admit I did not realize how valuable these old computer could seem in the eyes of the students. But I think it went well and the small parts that were possible for some use or to experiment with got into the hands of those that needed. And then one of the teachers that is teaching art students and has been doing recycling out of plastic bags is going to recycle the pile. One great recycling idea is already in use, that was done by Barbara Alves in her workshop, to use the box around the computers as garbage bins.
When the photo-room was in order the challenge was to test the materials that were lying around and find out what to buy and where…! There is plenty of photographic paper but the liquids were to old to use. After some search we found a place, so that now everything is working. I was so lucky that Alex, a British photographer who is doing volunteer work here on behalf of Muzart until next January had contacted me to ask if she could be of any use in the school. For sure!! We met up and she has been helping to sort things out and will be with us in ENAV for two days per week for this semester. Our first project in the photography course will be to make pinhole cameras and produce a CD cover photo. The students will select one song they like and have to take a photo that will communicate that music. Pin-hole cameras are a low tech method and it is possible to make out of anything that can keep the light out, for example a shoebox. Then there is just a little hole that will let in light on a photographic paper that you put there before entering the light. I think it is great for the students to learn a low tech medhod like this because it is cheap and possible to make, even at home.
