OrnaMental MAPPING
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Exploring and sharing elements from one's visual culture and heritage
Raising awareness about the environment through recycling
Discovering the local visual environment - Improving skills in storytelling and sharing experiences
Improving verbal skills and divided attention
Creating bridges between the local culture, culture of origin, and each other.
KEYWORDS
visual storytelling
mapping
ornaments
visual heritage
DURATION
90 minutes
SKILLS
storytelling
observation
manual skills
co-working skills
PREPARATION
Purchasing a wooden board and other used material
Understanding the skills and circumstances of the participants
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
up-recyclable wooden board or any other wooden piece of furniture
pencils
erasers
acrylic paint
brushes
plastic containers (smaller recycled bottle tops to mix the paint and bigger ones for water)
eventually rules and compasses
varnish (to finalize the object and use it afterward)
DESCRIPTION
1. Preparation: -
Ask the participants to bring photos of ornaments with geometric patterns they find in their homes, streets, or places of origin. Alternatively, take them on a walk in the neighbourhood and encourage them to collect photos of ornaments that remind them of their place of origin. - Collect smaller pieces of furniture, wooden boards that you don't use any more, or that you find on the street.
2. Introduction and setting the scene: -
Form groups of 2-4 participants and ask them to sit around one board or piece of furniture. - Ask the participants to share their photos and stories within their groups, such as where they took the photo and why it's important. Alternatively, suggest they talk about a specific topic, such as their visual experiences in the neighbourhood or their place of origin.
3. OrnaMental Mapping:
Guide the participants to draw with a pencil at different points of the board while continuing to discuss. Ask them to use the ornaments on their photos as a starting point for drawing and continue to develop it while they talk or listen to others. - As the patterns they draw expand on the surface, they will get close to each other. At that moment, they need to find common solutions to link the patterns together. - Linking the patterns is a symbolic gesture, and they need to think about how to unite different universes and create connections.
4. Adding colours:
Colours may introduce additional rhythms to the patterns, "break" them, or vary them. Colour may also be the key to a harmonious appearance of all the different geometric patterns. 5. Presentation and Discussion: - Ask each group to present their ornamental map, how they created it, and the topics raised during the discussions. - Let the group share their feelings and observations during the process.
TIPS AND RECOMMANDATIONS
Collecting photos can be a fun group activity that can be organized and enjoyed by everyone. It can be particularly helpful for people who are still developing their orientation skills or who may not feel comfortable navigating public spaces on their own. Wooden objects can easily be substituted with paper or any other material that you have available.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
A better knowledge about one's physical environment, improved observations skills.
REFERENCES AND USEFUL SOURCES
Examples for OrnaMental Maps creating processes:
