100 years ago in Weimer, Germany a radical school for architecture and arts opened it’s doors and went on to become one of the most influential schools of the 20th century. The founding manifesto was informed by a progressive educational vision and social agenda. Underpinned by an ethos of ‘thinking through making’, the arts were considered a kind of research science that unfolds in the everyday.

During Children’s Art Week from 10 – 14 June 2019, The DLWP Learning & Participation team took up residency in All Saints Primary School’s new Creative Hub. This open learning space came about through the reconfiguration of classrooms formerly used as an ITC suite and Counselling space. These activities have been moved/absorbed, walls demolished, doors removed , new furniture and fittings installed to create a studio for art and music.

As part of a new programme THINKING THROUGH…, Year 5 and Year 6 students spent 5 days experimenting with a range of materials and processes, inspired by the ideas, principles and work of key figures who studied and taught at the Bauhaus School,

In the final week of term Year 6 students visited De La Warr Pavilion to see a selection of their work, including a collection of hand puppets and a set of mono prints temporarily displayed in dialogue with works by the Chicago Imagists exhibition in the ground floor gallery.

A large scale installation of 3D units adorned with photocopies of the students wood block prints was displayed in Group Hat in the first floor gallery. Initially arranged as a wall or divide in the gallery, the units were conceived to operate like Godfrey’s ambiguous sculptural works to be easily reconfigured to change the way we see, move through and use the gallery. Drawing on the blank faces of the units, pupils constructed a large scale game of Exquisite Corpse.

Join us for THINKING THROUGH… Open Learning Spaces Part 2 to explore techniques and reflections on opening up spaces for different forms of learning on Thursday 5 September 3 – 6 pm. Click here to book a place at the discussion.

Posted by Caspar Jayasekera on Wednesday 14 August 2019