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Music Faculty Graduation in Maputo
I went to the graduation festival in the Music Department here in Universita di Eduardo Mondlane. This was a very festive occasion, the school was only established in 2004 and has been going through the same experience that we are doing in the new arts and design academy ISAC.
There were lots of speeches and ceremonies, but the best part was the music. In the beginning (after the choir sang the national anthem) we had the classical music in various forms. There the students have been struggling with a totally different culture, even physical understanding etc. The best part and the most popular with the audience was in the end, when students working with traditional instruments and music started to shine. Here is a simple cut video that documents the building of cresendo to the finale with proper Mozambican Marabenta. I put this here for information and really to document the event for later dates.
I wonder how we are going to deal with the cultural differences in our ISAC. My hope is of course that the students and teachers can develop their own cultural roots in design blending together the long and prosperous tradition of recycling, local materials etc with modern technology and innovation.
DETOURNAMENT IN ISAC, MAPUTO
Today we had a crit about the work the students in ISAC did for the detournament course that we have been running to develop a critical perspective to the work they might do, coinciding with the general elections here in the end of last month. The work is of various quality while the process has been an inspiring period for us all.Now we go into the last project of the semester, the first ever semester in the school. We are going to have a final festival on the 26th of November where the different groups are to produce projects on the theme: BLACK AND WHITE. The 26th of Nov is an important date for ISAC because exactly one year ago on that date in 2008 was presented the first anouncement of the academy in the papers on, yes you guessed it: black on white.Here are images of the work today for the detournament showing the activity and a collection of images, posters, ideas etc.Today we had a critique about the work the students in ISAC did for the detournament course that we have been running to develop a critical perspective to the work they might do, coinciding with the general elections here in the end of last month. The work is of various quality while the process has been an inspiring period for us all.
Now we go into the last project of the semester, the first ever semester in the school. We are going to have a final festival on the 26th of November where the different groups are to produce projects on the theme: BLACK AND WHITE. The 26th of Nov is an important date for ISAC because exactly one year ago on that date in 2008 was presented the first anouncement of the academy in the papers on, yes you guessed it: black on white.
Here are images of the work today for the detournament showing the activity and a collection of images, posters, ideas etc.
ISAC Workshop: Making the Tools of our Trade
Stones on campus were used to load the books while the glue was dryingToday we had a workshop in ISAC where the students learned to make their own sketchbook/diary/reflective tool. This item is the fundamental tool of our trade, where we run our own internal dialogue with ourselves. Testing, experimenting and criticizing what we are trying to project. Practicing what the fancy US business calls DESIGN THINKING and we call work.
The workshop is an integral part of the new project that we are running this month in ISAC named: DETOURNAMENT. This is about looking out for new possibilities in the collision of ideas, images, signs etc., often in with an embedded political vision (environmental, social, gender driven etc.). This coincides nicely with the fact that there will be general election in the country in the end of this month.
The students folding folios and sewing together the books.
The program in the school has been the following:
In the beginning we ran: Encontros de discussão – A conference of all the students and academic staff in ISAC about the role of the school, its position in society and the differences and similarities in the disciplines. There we performed pensamento relativo as linhas orientadoas de cada curso: Arte/Design/Animacao Cultural. This has been reported here.
They are cutting the inside coloured pages for their booksThis first phase was to create an orientation for ourselves and ISAC as a whole.
The second phase dealt with reality and its representation and interpretation: Realidade/Representação da realidade/Documentação da Realidade
This phase was about documentation (of for example reality), how it is directed, the inclusion of the documenter in the perspective of what is being documented etc. There we used the support of the DOCANEMA festival that was taking place in Mozambique. Out of this work the students were required to create their own
Interpretação and Reflexão (Interpretation and reflection) During this phase we visited the Eduardo Mondlane University Library, where the students got first hand information about information technology and academic research. We had also a lecture from the main librarian in the Central Politechnic Library.
Gluing the spine of the already sewn bookNow we are working on the LIMITES (the limits) of our institution, of our personal practice and of ISAC as an institution in Mozambique and in the international community of art academies. We ask: “Who defines our limits?” Quem define os limites?
For this work it is excellent to use detournament as a tool and include the sketchbook as the practical tool for reflection, documentation and experimentation.
Professora Karina also made her own bookWe had a great day, the students refused to take a break. I must thank my very good friends in Oslo and London: Maz, Doglas in St Martins and Cecilie in London (or wherever they are working each time) and Theo for teaching me the bookmaking and helping me realize how important it is that one is able oneself to make these tools and use them!
Here the capulana (African textile material that is widely used) is being prepared for being the cover
A stack of half done books waiting for continuation tomorrowNordic Travels and Work in Maputo
From my lecture in the Reykjavik Art Museum. I see this website is on the screen.I took a quick trip to home fields this September to confer with my people about our work here in Maputo, how the strategy is going, how to change course and what the next steps should be. I also attended the annual Cirrus Conference that took place in Copenhagen this time. I am the leader of the Cirrus Network, which is a network of the majority of Design and Art schools in the Nordic and Baltic countries. That work has given me great pleasure (and obligations) since I really enjoy working for design internationally, especially promoting it as something of value for society and with the other institutes influence national and Nordic design policy, education and research.
I gave lectures in Oslo and Reykjavik about our work in Africa and the establishment of ISAC to make sure that a wider group of people participate in our effort. Surely a larger group has the ability to find wider and diverse possibilities that just the two of us. We have also always considered ourselves as representatives of the networks of designers that we belong to like KHiO, LHÍ, Cirrus and the Cumulus Association. The objective of meeting up with friends in the North was to look out for possibilities of cooperation in the coming very sensitive years for the new school. It pleased me greatly how many came to my presenatations, especially to the Reykjavik lecture and it was fun to meet many friends and participate in discussions about possibilities. Now I have returned to the busy life of getting things further off the ground, participating in the World Wide Views workshop and exhibition that Sóley has been running here and get on with the many tasks of creating strategies for the coming months and years.
First Day of School Conference
I decided to do some simple video documentation of our first days in ISAC. This is an interesting moment, when an academy is formed. We decided to run a simple conference so that we together can define the boundaries of the disciplines and to create a common understanding among the students and teachers of what the issues should really be in a university level education. We did discuss the reflective and critical fundamental element in a university where the students and teachers together discuss and experiment with ideas, moving out the boundaries of reality. We discuss the differences and similarities of the three different fields of art/design/art management (production).
These clips are very short selected documents of the activity and conversation that took place on the first day in school.
Design and Art Linking Mozambique and Afrique
One of the reasons we decided to go to Mozambique was that there is enough of designers in the Nordic Countries and the Cirrus Network. Actually all Western countries. So we decided to try and do our bit where there is need for people with knowledge about design and maybe also some knowledge about how to teach design. We are now in Mozambique and this is happening now with the establishment of ISAC as is many blogged here. A side task has been to use our networks to assist with connecting friends here in Maputo to the outer world. I am now in contact with people in some of the other Southern Sahara design and art schools and I would love the new schools to link to the global network of schools and designers. Our friends in the Cumulusassociation have posted news of the establishment of ISAC and we hope that some of the member schools see opportunities to start some cooperation with us here in Africa. I will attend the Cumulus Conference in Melbourne later this year to inform and link. This is all great news and keeps us optimistic about the future of design, diversity of design and expansion of Cumulus to all corners of the globe. We fare better when we work together!
