"Duchamp au jardin" workshop and exhibition for primary schools

● Workshops for primary school pupils

The interdisciplinary ‘Duchamp au jardin’ workshops offer primary school pupils (5-8P) – over 3 x 2 periods of 45' and through the presentation of their creations made during this time – concrete ways of tackling questions of ecology and nature in the city in dialogue with contemporary art.

The workshops take as their starting point works-instructions designed especially for the project by Swiss and international artists. These invite theoretical or practical interaction with nature in the city, and lead, for example, to performative actions and drawing.

After studying and activating the artistic instructions, students are invited to develop and create their own. These new works become an integral part of the exhibition, and are exhibited in the school at the end of the workshop – as are the creations based on the artists' instructions.

This programm has been realized in collaboration with the Département de l'instruction publique (DIP)

● How do the workshops work?

The workshops are designed for 3 x 2 periods of 45 minutes, one week apart.

The workshops are based on a series of instructions (see pp. 5-6), enabling students to enter into a theme relating to urban nature through a creative and experiential activity. Depending on the work, the activity may take the form of drawing or performance. In a second phase, students develop their own instructions to create new links with other species (plants, animals, mushrooms, etc.). The results are then discussed with the mediator.

● What themes are covered?

The workshops address several of the PER objectives for Cycle 2 (in Geneva). Activating the instructions enables an interactive exchange on notions of biodiversity and urban ecology with an artistic and creative approach. Specific themes covered include the diversity of living things (such as plants and their roots), soil life and its functions, and interactions between species and their environment.

● Where do the workshops take place?

In order to experience nature in the city more directly, at least one of the workshop sessions takes place outdoors, in a location close to the school chosen with the teacher. The rest of the workshop takes place in the classroom.

● Who runs the workshops?

The workshops are led by mediators from the art-werk association, who specialise in contemporary art and/or urban ecology. The teacher should also be present during the workshops.

Interested in having "Duchamp au jardin" Workshops and exhibition in your school?
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