CASE STUDY
willow sculpture
Ennismore Retreat Centre Mayfield, Cork Art Encounter Summer 2005
MCAC ART ACTION TOOLBOX: CASE STUDY of Willow Sculpture
Theme: Equality and Dreams
Mayfield Arts Newbury House Art Action Toolbox: Case Study Willow Sculpture Art Encounter 2005 background Art Encounter 2005 was an artistic exchange which saw young artists from Cork, Nicaragua and Colombia, living and working together in Cork for three weeks. Their work was exhibited to the public in Mayfield and in the City centre. The young people were encouraged to explore issues of equality, while sharing cultural experiences and working together on a public art project. They used painting, sculpture, photography and graffiti art to explore the dreams of young poeple all over the world and how these relate to the Millenium Development Goals. The young people had clear messages that they communciated in very innovative ways. This is a case study of the willow sculpture project that took place during Art Encounter 2005 with young participants from Mayfield Arts, Ogra Chorcai, NIcaragua and Colombia.
Participants: Young people from Mayfield Arts Newbury house, Ă“gra ChorcaĂ, COrk Funarte, Nicaragua Centro Colombo Americano, Medellin Colombia
HOW DID WE DO IT? Step 1: Getting Started
MCAC ART ACTION TOOLBOX: CASE STUDY of Willow Sculpture
The group began exploring the theme of equality and dreams together and answered questions like: -What message would it convey to people who saw it? -Where would it be located? -How would it suit its location? -What materials are required? The participants individually sketched their ideas and then came back together as a group to pool their ideas and decide on a final design.
Step 2: Creating the Sculpture First they wove the willow to make the world. Then they built wooden frames for the figures. They fixed these in pots filled with earth and then planted the willow and wove it around the frames to make the figures. The group referred to the preparatory drawings while weaving the willow. It was really important to make the frames strong enough to support the final willow figures.
Step 3: Finishing & Exhibiting the Sculpture When the sculptures were finished, and the group had ensured they were stable and strong enough, the local community in Mayfield and the wider Cork community were invited to view the sculpture as part of Art Encounter 2005. The three figures in the sculpture represent the three countries working together to build a better world, which was part of the Art Encounter theme of Equality and Dreams. This willow sculpture process was also documented with video and photography so that the process and final product could be viewed afterwards.
Differences in equality don’t have to exist…we realised through the workshops that we have to work to achieve this equality.
MCAC ART ACTION TOOLBOX: CASE STUDY of Willow Sculpture
IMAGES OF THE FINISHED WORK
Watch a video of the willow project here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc5WWjoq7lM&feature=player_embedded
We learned many things including about culture, tolerance and sharing with others.