3.2.1 Factsheet: Project «Set Design»
Duration
One week project (April 2011)
Location
Danzamobile, Sevilla, Spain http://danzamobile.es
Involved Parties or Persons
Danzamobila is an art school for people with down syndrome and autism in Sevilla, Spain. I teached always with an art assistant. In this case with a local teacher, special trained in art and modern dance.
Objectives, Aims
The question was do people with down syndrome have their own dream? And can they express this in a set design? Another goal was to explain the people what set designs are and allowing them to make their own choices.
Short Description
The people were thaugt to make a set design in different ways, first to draw, then to photograph and then through making a set design with magazines and carton boxes. We went from the fact that the place in which we live is actually also a set design.
Setting
The setting was very flexible, from 10 to 40 people. Every day we teach 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. Because in Spain it is not obligatory to go to school when you have a mental disability
Methods
Modern dance, Spanish dance, theatre, photography and drawing. Handicraft.
There are four different stages in the workshop.
Structure of the Workshop
First day: drawing.
Second day: photographing their own rooms and surroundings
Third day: creating their own set design on stage with different objects.
Fourth-Seventh day: Creating the set design in a shoe box.
Everyday a short introduction was followed by a retrospective and presenting of their own work.
Continuation of the Project
Two set designs were used in a real piece afterwards. By my colleague with whom i have leaded the workshop. That was the drawing with the set design of the blue flowers. The piece is called « give me a minute ». This piece travelled all along Europe and was showed on different Art Festivals.
Another piece that was played in the University of Sevilla, their teachers are taught how to teach people with special needs. After I taught them the principles of “how to make a set design”, I left. My Spanish colleagues continued the project. The people with down syndrome and autism explained how to make a set design to upcoming teachers for people with special needs. So in this situation, the roles changed. Teachers became students. Then the teachers were creating a set design and they also played that set design. They put it on stage at their school in a three day workshop for acting. The school Danza Mobile likes the project and is willing to continue it on a weakly basis with my Spanish colleague. So that the projects can continue.
I organized an exposition in the Caban in Bümpliz in September 2011 with the title:
“Make the setdesign of your life”.
From the whole project the book “Make the setdesign of your life” was created.
Personal Experience in Teaching
What I found surprising, was that the people did not know, what a set design was. Although they every day play in it. We solved this problem, by letting them create a set design by themselves with different elements, that they could put on stage. For example a bike, that they decorated with feathers. We also said that their own surroundings were a set design of their life. We gave them a disposable paper camera, so that they could photograph their surrounding. The results were so good, that the people come together in a photo workshop once a month. It was a good experience, after this workshop, people with down syndrom could teach uncoming teachers how to make a set design. I was surprised to see the awareness of some people about their own situation. About their own feelings of e.g. shame. Because he is not able to do things other people do. There for my collegue decided that he can play his set design for real at the University of Sevilla. Like this he could share his perspective. In doing this, he gained a great amount of self confidence.
One of the students showed us her set design on stage. She used a big pile of books, for her this was the universe, explained she. There are different levels of understanding and interpretation of things. How the world and the objects are perceived, is a really unique and individual personal experience. Henry Matisse thought about this: “The importance of an artist is to be measured by the number of new signs he has introduced into the language of art…”. More about this on my Website under the subject, “Drawing in one line” according to the methods of Henry Matisse. Matisse imprint on me was significant, his tools helped me a lot. To interpret and work with the drawings from the people in Spain. Because Matisse has drawn the same flowers, and has said that they were Aubergines when he was in Sevilla. Then in research I found out that Aubergines were the favourite dish of the participants. They occur also in the piece “Give me a minute”, that travelled around the world.
Here you find some pictures of the drawings.
And here photos of the set design in a box.
