Cross Programme Event: Object-based Learning in Art and Design
2 Feb 2022 / Judy Willcocks, Head of Central Saint Martins Museum & Study Collection and Senior Research Fellow.
Central Saint Martins Museum & Study Collection
https://arts.ac.libguides.com/c.php?g=686452&p=4906489
https://sparkjournal.arts.ac.uk/index.php/spark/issue/view/9
OBL: A form of experiential learning involving the senses, including haptic (touch).
My Thoughts, Reflections & Ideas:
I really enjoyed hearing about and researching object based learning from Judy and the others in the team.
It’s a method I am really keen to introduce into my teaching, in a more planned, thought out and structured way.
Before Covid, I would take my folio course students to St Brides Library to see and handle type catalogues and samples. They would then be able to use a printing press to print a wood block letter themselves. Most of them had not thought too much about printing before digital, so it was always a massive eye opener for them and there was always much shock and disbelief about the amount of effort and equipment involved.
Another example, of OBL I used pre covid was taking the students to V&A museum of childhood. They would be tasked to choose an object and observe it through drawing and sketching and taking photos. This would be the starting point for them to design a series of postcards featuring or inspired by this object. This was a popular brief which the students consistently responded well too. I think one of the reasons for this was the object based starting place, which provides real life inspiration for their line of visual inquiry.
I feel in the last 2 years, since the course has been forced online, not being able to give the students this kind of experience has really impacted on quality of their learning experience. I know that we have all been in a similar boat, and have to work with our limitations, but the students really got a lot out of this and it was often said to be one of the things they most enjoyed and learnt from, in our course evaluations.
The portfolio course I lead for UAL runs from Oct – Feb each year and I write the briefs for this course. After hearing Judy again today I’m really keen to introduce a new OBL brief in the new 2022/23 course, especially having heard from them how they have adapted to OBL online, as it’s uncertain at this point whether my folio course will come back into the studio or remain online.
The creative freedom of this way of working really appealed to me. I haven’t thought about this in a long time and so it was very valuable to revisit it in my mind after Judy’s talk with a view to implementing an OBL working into my coming folio course. I think as a starting point for a brief this would be really interesting, a springboard for a broader project. Even if we do remain online, I will certainly use the online OBL resources that Judy’s team has provided. Also there’s always the option to ask the students to select their own object, which they do have physical access to.
When I was doing my MA at CSM, I took part in a OBL workshop with Judy in the CSM museum. The resulting work I did, used photogrammetry to capture an object for digital viewing. As a student, even though it was about 6 years ago, I do remember these workshops well, and enjoyed the direct interaction with the objects. Perhaps this is why I remember the workshops so well. It felt very free and explorative, that’s what I liked about it, starting from an object, a real thing and allowing that object to lead you on an enquiry.
Special Collections Resources:
https://digitalcollections.arts.ac.uk