Workshop at Artschool nr.1

In my exploration of life in Nikel I have meet many different attitudes about the what will become of Nikel. I therefore found it interesting to make a workshop with the kids at the artschool no.1, and with the help and interest from Marina I managed to do this.
How would the kids respond to task of making the future of Nikel?
By giving the kids room to be creative I would like to see their response, and their reflections on their town.

The workshop was held wednesday 21.04

The first task I gave then was to make a “mental” map of their town Nikel. They could value things like they wanted, it should not be a “correct” map.

The second task was given after both two groups had worked for a little while with the maps of what seemed to be very “correct” maps of the centre of Nikel, and with the existing program. In task nr two I challenged them to fill in and “change” the program of NIkel – to make it like they wanted their town.

The kids obviously found this task very exiting and was very enthusiastic. Soon new towns of Nikel was litteraly popping up as the children also started making houses from folded paper. This they found out them self was a good idea.

After two hours of workshop the town of Nikel had been “changed” from factory town to a service town and a town of tourism – were everybody apparently loved shopping… and the factory they said would exist, but they would like to move it underground..

What was very interesting was to try find their reasoning for their new towns, as some of their programming can be said would be added by any child in any town.
Some of the interesting suggestions from the children was:
- Moving a part of Kandalaksha to Nikel..
- Moving The government of Russia, the Eiffeltower, the statue of liberty and Akropolis to Nikel…
- Placing the Leninstatue inside a fancy icon building….
- Making a BIG and beautiful kindergarden…
- Placing factory underground…
- Building a lot of sky scrapers in Nikel…
- Making a museum of all the people and cultures of the world…

As of my impression of their joy and fantasies also shows some of their reflections of what they have – nature, buildings, social, location, etc..
The kids was 10-12 years.

The teachers was also thinking this was very fun, and we will continue this workshop wednesday 28.04.

This is just a short report, a full report from these workshops will be made.

a little bicycleexpedition

Denis and Grigory took me on a little bicycletrip. It was very nice, but very cold. Even thought there is not so much snow left in Nikel +2 is not yet spring time and bicycle weather…..