The resource I discovered, Salamon S. (2018), Drawing laboratory introduces and evaluates a series of 5 Drawing laboratory workshops devised at Central St Martins.
The workshops explore drawing as a visual research tool for creative thinking, improved concentration, and the connections between the physical act of drawing and memory.
The article resonates with me because drawing is a key component of my practice as an artist designer and I frequently embed drawing activities into my teaching and learning at UAL.
While my students develop their practice within an increasingly digital environment, drawing continues to be a relevant primary visual research and design thinking tool. The physical, material and cognitive process of drawing creates unique and original content.
I encourage students to explore, test and make combined use of analogue and digital processes in their work. These factors routinely generate interesting and inciteful discussions in the studio sessions, and result in creative mixed media processes and final project outcomes.
Salomon writes ‘drawing as a concentrated activity could emphasize students’ ability to recall past experience, by developing enhanced connections between hand and eye they would find a greater level of connectivity between experience and information stored in memory.’
Inspired by Salomon’s exploration of the relationship between drawing process and memory, I applied this approach after PgCert Workshop 1 as follows:
At the start of the session and as a group introductory task, we were invited to choose a postcard each, and to use the postcard as an initial point of introduction and discussion with our new peers.
On reflection the task was successful because after the session, I realised via the visual associations of the images on the postcards and my peers’ descriptions, I was able to recall who-was-who.
After the session, and as a test to myself, I drew the 5 postcards from memory. As I drew I was able to remember not only the names of my new peers, but also why they had chosen each postcard (see Fig.1).
In conclusion, I will continue to explore, extend and apply these learnings to my teaching and learning. As an example I include a memory drawing task in workshop: Community Kitchen (Microteaching) as documented here and as part of my TPP portfolio submission.
Reference
Salamon S. (2018), Drawing laboratory