At first I was outraged by such an idea. Me? Fine art? The thought terrified me (and still does to some extent) but this seemed to be the point. By removing us from our comfort zones we were being encouraged to use our creativity elsewhere, as opposed to where we were used to using it.
After some panicky discussions with my fellow art student teachers, far too many over priced Starbucks coffees and procrastination on the internet, I finally came across an idea which interested me. Actually, I should really say an artist with an idea which interested me.
Mademoiselle Maurice is a French artist who uses simple origami shapes to create fantastically complicated installations or 'street arts' at an amazing scale.
These images are of a project composed for the ARTAQ Festival 2013 by Mademoiselle Maurice, looking at how street art can be used to enhance an already beautiful space, in this case adding colour and texture. Over 30,000 origami pieces were needed to create this installation! The project was achieved through the help of hundreds of volunteers from a range of backgrounds including school children and tourists, all of which learned to fold the origami shapes in a variety of sizes. I found this idea wonderfully inspiring, it takes the word 'collaboration' and gives it a whole new meaning.
Using Mademoiselle Maurice as my inspiration I decided to look into origami and how I could utilise it within a classroom environment. So far, I have just about grasped the basics (I can make an origami snail... Photos of this phenomenon will follow shortly!) and I'm beginning to look into how I could translate the idea of origami and collaboration into a school friendly project. It's hard not to aim to create something as breathtaking as the above, however I'm definitely excited at the possibilities of the project!
Take a look at Mademoiselle Maurice's website for more examples of her fantastic installations!
http://www.mademoisellemaurice.com
