Teaching notes
MOVE primary: Art in motion is a teaching and learning package containing five resources, each focused on the video artwork of a different Australian artist: Shaun Gladwell, Jess MacNeil, Joan Ross, Grant Stevens and Daniel von Sturmer.
Each resource contains:
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a video artwork for study
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a video introduction by the artist
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an artist statement
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appreciating and artmaking activities.
Each artist resource focuses on a particular education stage, but can be adapted to meet the needs of students at other stages. Some students might be able to work through the resource independently but generally students will require significant teacher input. Resource components could be projected onto a whiteboard for study as a whole class or by groups, or they can be used independently on personal computers. Videos can be viewed in full screen mode.
While the resources address students, teachers will be active participants, leading students through the activities including reading and discussing instructions. For early stages of learning, the resource might serve as a teaching guide, with each activity becoming a lesson plan interpreted appropriately for the age group. The video might be the only element that young students access directly.
Each artist resource will require a number of lessons to complete and could be the focus for visual arts learning over a term. Completion time for each artist resource will vary according to student experience and interest.
MOVE video art in schools, a video art resource with a secondary focus, includes video works by Shaun Gladwell, Jess MacNeil, Daniel von Sturmer and Grant Stevens. This resource provides students with information about the artists and a wider experience of video artwork. It also contains material useful for primary teachers including articles about video as an art form and critical reviews of the artists.
| Artist | Stage | Visual art form | Curriculum links |
|---|---|---|---|
Shaun Gladwell |
Stage 3 |
Performance art Video art (4D) |
English: Learning to write (review) Talking and listening (discussing and exploring ideas, listening to others) Learning to read (written and visual text) |
Jess MacNeil |
Stages 2 and 3 |
Drawing (2D) Animation (4D) Photography (2D) |
English: Talking and listening (discussing and exploring ideas, listening to others) Learning to read (written and visual text) |
Joan Ross |
Stages 1 and 2 |
Digital art (4D) Photography (2D) |
English: Talking and listening (discussing ideas, listening to others, exploring ideas, collaborating) Learning to read (written and visual text) Creative Arts: Music (creating a soundscape) Drama (improvising around emotions) |
Grant Stevens |
Stages 2 and 3 |
Digital art (4D) Digital art (2D): Word cloud Shape poem |
English: Talking and listening (discussing and listening to others, exploring ideas, collaborating) Learning to read (written and visual text) Learning to write (Acrostic poems) Creative arts: Music (creating an ostinato) |
Daniel von Sturmer |
Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 |
Fibre art (2D) Class mural (2D or 3D) Performance art Digital art (4D) |
English: Talking and listening (describing, responding, listening and taking turns in conversations, sharing ideas, following instructions) Mathematics: Two dimensional shapes (exploring and manipulating 2D shapes, naming 2D shapes) Creative arts: Music (moving, listening and responding to music) |
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Watch the video artwork.
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Watch the artist-talks video and ask students to read, or listen to the teacher read, the Artist’s statement (click on the image of the artist in the top left corner to access these in Artist’s introduction).
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Discuss the Artist’s introduction in terms appropriate to the student group.
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Complete the activities below the video player on the front page of each artist resource before beginning the numbered sequence of activities listed to the right.
When working in the activities:
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click on linked text with a plus icon to reveal additional instructions and information
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click on highlighted words to access the glossary which explains terms.
Teachers will need to access YouTube videos for students where necessary and set up blogs and determine who will have access.
The Daniel von Sturmer resource focuses on the Object of things (Sequence 2) video artwork. It addresses Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 NSW Board of Studies Visual Arts outcomes. The following information will assist you to use this resource in your classroom.
| Outcomes | Indicators | |
|---|---|---|
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Making |
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VAES1.1 |
Make simple pictures and other kinds of artworks about things and experiences. |
Students:
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VAES1.2 |
Experiments with a range of media in selected forms. |
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Appreciating |
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VAES1.3 |
Recognises some of the qualities of different artworks and begins to realise that artists make artworks. |
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VAES1.4 |
Communicates their ideas about pictures and other kinds of artworks. |
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| Outcomes | Indicators | |
|---|---|---|
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Making |
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VAS1.1 |
Makes artworks in a particular way about experiences of real and imaginary things. |
Students: • talk about significant features and relationships within their artworks eg the relationship between the movement of the squares and the changes that result and the relationship between overlapping translucent materials and the formation of new colours and shapes |
|
VAS1.2 |
Uses the forms to make artworks according to varying requirements. |
• interpret shape through a variety of art forms • begin to develop skills with a wide range of media, tools and techniques and use these to create different effects |
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Appreciating |
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VAS1.3 |
Begins to interpret the meaning of artworks, acknowledging the roles of artist and audience. |
• talk about The Object of Things (Sequence 2) and about von Sturmers experiments • identify particular features of The Object of Things (Sequence 2) |
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VAS1.4 |
Begins to interpret the meaning of artworks, acknowledging the roles of artist and audience. |
• recognise that artists explore the world in particular ways in their approach to artmaking and in the artworks they create • understand that different aspects of the world are represented in artworks • realise the diversity of things made as art |
| Activity | Focus | Implementation |
|---|---|---|
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Creating experiments |
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Project the video and von Sturmer talks for the students to watch. Watch The Object of Things (Sequence 2) and pause the video from time-to-time. Discuss changes students observe and ask the questions included in this activity. Use an interactive whiteboard to explore red, yellow and blue translucent squares to see what happens as they are moved around and over one another. You will need to try the colours and transparency qualities to achieve colour mixing effects. Take students on a walk to observe things that are transparent, translucent and opaque in order to develop their understanding of the terms. |
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Searching for shapes |
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As students look for squares, triangles, rectangles and circles in their environment discuss the features of the shapes. Stage 1 students might look for hexagons, rhombuses and trapeziums as well. Find an irregular closed shape and photograph it and/or draw it for observation in the classroom. If you take a photograph it should not give away the location of the shape. In the classroom, project the photo or drawn shape and. talk with the students about the features of the irregular shape. Ask students to make up a name for the shape and discuss why the name was chosen and why they think some shapes have names (refer to von Sturmer's artist statement). Students could hunt in the playground, for the irregular shape you projected. |
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Activity 1 Work with colour |
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Encourage students to mix colours using the three primary colours. Discuss the variety of each new colour that they have created eg the various greens that were made from blue and yellow. Work with students to identify artists who experimented with colour and shape. You could link to the artists below or complete a web search for further information: Discuss experiments that the artists might have conducted. Talk about features of the artworks such as:
Discuss elements of the composition of the works such as:
While the activity suggests working with red, yellow and blue paints, and colours made through mixing these, you might wish to introduce a different colour palette. Canvases can be purchased cheaply from bargain shops, while wood offcuts are sometimes available from builders and hardware stores. Framers might have cardboard offcuts that they are prepared to donate. Refer back to appropriate artworks as the class considers the composition of its collaborative artwork. |
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Activity 2 Stitch a fibre artwork |
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Many different translucent fabric types can be used for this activity. Net is very cheap and effective for overlapping to make new colours but you could try other fabric types. Stitching can be organic and ends of threads can be left to hang, adding to the work. Note students should use plastic or blunt-ended needles. Students should be seated a distance apart and will need to be closely supervised during this activity. |
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Activity 3 Create a lightshow |
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Students can experiment with torch light in a darkened classroom, hall, or other space. They could also use a cardboard carton large enough for one or two students to enter. Whitegoods and motorbike cartons are a good size and are sometimes available from manufacturers and/or retailers. Not all video cameras are able to record in darkened spaces. You will need to experiment with the equipment you have to check its capability. |
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Activity 4 Create a group digital artwork |
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Students will require assistance with this activity. A process for making the slideshow is provided in the activity. For more information about Microsoft PowerPoint you could visit the Microsoft support website. If you wish to attach a sound file to the slideshow you could refer to the process in the Grant Stevens module of MOVE primary, (Activity 4, Define your class>Link your sound and slideshow). |
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Activity 5 |
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Students could organise a screening of the work or exhibit on a website or blog. The teacher would need to set up the blog and determine who would have access. Encourage students to talk about the process of making the artwork and what they have learned. |
About Daniel von Sturmer
http://www.danielvonsturmer.com
Technology tutorials and support
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