Elements of Model Making
This was the title of a workshop that I ran during a design charrette at Dunfermline Learning Campus last month. The focus of the day was for the participants to find out more about the public art project and to give them the opportunity to speak about what makes the Campus and Dunfermline special to them, as well as to let us know about their own ideas for the public commission.
I was able to collect a list of locations to visit in and around Dunfermline that locals felt were significant to it, and a few people let me know about their ideas for the commission, some of these I captured in audio recordings.
Never underestimate the amount of planning that goes into these things! I was so grateful to have the support of James Anderson from Fife Contemporary to work with the stakeholders and mastermind the logistics. He also gave a huge amount of practical help with managing the large number of participants and ensuring the workshops ran smoothly, working closely with the workshop leaders, schools and Fife College.
Two fabulous artists; Katie Fowlie and Hannah Brackston along with Fergus Purdie Architects made a massive contribution to the day by delivering their diverse and dynamic workshops, sharing knowledge and skills alongside collecting valuable information to inform the design of the artwork.
In my workshop we talked about words used to describe three dimensional objects, investigated the properties of materials, and looked at examples of the methods used to make sculpture: carving, casting and construction. I brought a selection of models for public artworks from across my career which we discussed, I was also able to share on a big screen images and films from my website of work in progress making the real thing, and final installation shots of the works in the context they were made for.
To be able to get a hands-on experience of working with materials in a limited time I made some jigs and provided some pre-cut materials, as well as encouraging personal experimentation.
In early December Fife Contemporary will publish a more comprehensive blog featuring the design charrette, it will cover all of the workshops, I will make a link here when it’s posted.
