Whilst looking for some of the articles from the group tutorial I came across this paper from Spark called ‘Drawing Laboratory: Research, workshops and outcomes’. The article documents the development and running of a pilot scheme called ‘Drawing Laboratory’ at CSM in 2015. The research culminated in a series of 5 extra curricular workshops that explored the ‘associations between the physical act of drawing and the encoding and retrieval processes of human memory’ *1 .In the words of the papers author Michelle Salamon (Associate Lecturer, BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins)
“The project informally piloted a co-curricular space where drawing extends beyond traditional expectations and is used as a research tool for developing thinking, improving concentration and enhancing memory. The workshops aimed to identify a series of mnemonic devices to record and recall information from episodic memory and use them to develop a tool for use in Art and Design learning environments.” *2
I think it links to what I was trying to get across in my 5 minute presentation and my question of “what is the pedological role of visual language within academia”. Salamon has put in better words than I can
“ Since the times of de Boisbaudran (1848), drawing has been considered a vital technical skill, essential to the role of the artist whose work predominantly centres on observations. Today, drawing is not necessarily included in the art and design curriculum. It is often presented to students as a voluntary pursuit. Few UK Art and Design departments offer degree courses in ‘drawing’. In contemporary art and design education the role of drawing has become viewed as less essential.” *3
This is something I resonate with and something that is a topic of discussion for both staff and students on the IVM course. This paper made me think of an workshop I ran for our first year students called ‘deconstruct/reconstruct. Within the session there were a number of timed drawing tasks, each one asking the students to concentrate on different parts of the image, considering the textures, shadows, light etc. Pulling something a part to understand it.
‘FOR THE ARTIST DRAWING IS DISCOVERY.’ *4
So I want to get across that drawing (expanded drawing especially, but I’ll come back to that) is more than the outcome, it is the process of seeing, observing, understanding and learning. I think the students enjoyed the workshop and began to understand the process. I think it was successful that they had to turn their drawings into a book, so they began to see their work as a potential ‘outcome’. The paper goes on to state that
“ Pedagogic research indicates the benefits of physical activity for learning. For example, Alan Baddeley uses the term ‘visuospatial sketchpad’ to describe a mnemonic mechanism for enabling recall (2000, p.2). The sketchpad within the mind performs the function of holding visuospatial information and can be broken down into separate visual, spatial and possibly kinesthetic components. These components relate to the concept of kinesthetic learning, where learning takes place by students carrying out physical activities, rather than passively listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations” *5
The idea of kinaesthetic learning is something that interests me, and something to delve deeper into…
*1 Salamon, M. (2018). Drawing Laboratory: Research, workshops and outcomes. Spark UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, Volume 3 (Issue 2), Page(131-141).
*2 Salamon, M. (2018). Drawing Laboratory: Research, workshops and outcomes. Spark UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, Volume 3 (Issue 2), Page(131-141).
*3 Salamon, M. (2018). Drawing Laboratory: Research, workshops and outcomes. Spark UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, Volume 3
*4 Berger, J. and Savage, J. (2012). Berger on drawing. Page(3)(Issue 2), Page(131-141).
*5 Salamon, M. (2018). Drawing Laboratory: Research, workshops and outcomes. Spark UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, Volume 3 (Issue 2), Page(131-141).
Blog for Drawing Labs: https://memorydrawing.tumblr.com/