Abstract:

Educational project- work in progress -The project Still life with... is a collaborative project between - Mary Immaculate Teacher Education College, Limerick City Gallery of Art and International artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly.
The Educational art project is based around a reinterpretation of the classical genre of still life painting through contemporary art practice. Using new technology and public participation, Still life with… will create a room that centers on a painting from the Limerick City Gallery of Arts permanent collection.
It is envisaged that the room will contain the painting, 3 video projections and a large-scale model, that recreates the geometric forms of the cloth, dishes and the fruit from the painting. This is a sculptural environment that the public can walk through. The lighting of the room will echo the light in the painting. The installation is filmed, and live video of the installation is treated by three computer programmers, each generating a different representation of the pictorial space of the room, whether still or in movement. The project is based around the question of how we look at art, and why? New ways of looking at art, new ways of learning through art have lead to explore new ways of making art.
The installation is to be prepared by students in Mary Immaculate Teacher Education College. The students will be involved in the project from the concept stage to completion. In conjunction with the students is the technology that Connelly and Cleary will harness to make the installation. Still life with... pushes notions of inclusive art practice. It will use technology that the artist have used on several international exhibitions including the Pompidou Centre to the Guangdong Museum of Art in China
The still life project is a multidisciplinary approach to teaching and learning. The project supports linkage and integration across a variety of disciplines and subject areas( topics explored included, Art History in its cultural context, critical thinking, architecture, art in public spaces, fine art and design, the use of multimedia in education, alternative educational program as well as developing art making and thinking skills )
It is envisaged that the project will promote progressive thinking around educational practice and digital media. Technologies within art education afford unprecedented possibilities for creative participation, and student/ child centered learning. We are primarily concerned with reviewing the potential of Digital media in developing student teachers and children’s understanding, of learning how to think about art as well as to express ideas in a visual manner. This collaboration aims to establish a body of knowledge that advocates a student centered approach (active involvement, collaboration, peer learning, reflection) when utilizing a combination of concepts, processes skills and digital Media in art education.
It is envisaged that the outcomes from this collaborative, exploratory educational project will provide the context of developing a model for innovative and progressive pedagogic approaches to teaching and learning within Visual Art Education and digital media.

Keywords:

project, collaboration, instillation, technology, education, contemporary art.