Less is More: A HIgh School Studio Lesson

A High School Studio Lesson

By Nicole Brisco and Ken Vieth

As educators we need to explore a variety of open-ended projects that motivate students to increase their personal expression and knowledge, as well as increase their skills.   In this visual problem, we wanted our students to each react to visual images found in contemporary architecture, respond with poetry, and then create an image that combines both. This lesson was developed and implemented collaboratively by the authors.

The Visual/Literacy Problem

Students will create a two-dimensional mixed media image that combines both images and poetic text. This will be in response to viewing images of contemporary architecture and then responding with the minimal use of words through poetry.  They will then create images based on a combination of architecture and their poetic response to that architecture.  

Procedures

Begin with students by defining and discussing the concept of Minimalism, the extreme simplification of form.  Show examples found in art, literature, as well as architecture. Show students visual images of various contemporary architecture such as Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Art Museum, in Bilbao, Spain; Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Art Museum in New York CitRenzo Piano’s The Shard in London; Sir Norman Forster’s Swiss Re Tower (commonly known as “The Gerkin”); and Bjorn Utson’s Sidney Opera House in Sidney, Australia.

Ask questions such as “What is similar about these structures?”  “What characteristics does architecture share with sculpture?” “What visual aspects create unity?”  “What five words would you use to best describe these architectural structures?”

Minimalism in Haiku

Have students explore the concept of  “Less is More,” a philosophy proposed by architect Mies Van Der Rohe that advocated simplicity in architecture, and how this concept could be applied to any subject. Next have them investigate minimalism found in poetry such as Japanese Haiku. Explain that the classic form of Haiku contains three lines, the first with 5 syllables, the second with 7 syllables, and the final line with 5 syllables. Share the work of two famous Japanese Haiku poets, Matsuo Basho and Kobayashi Issa.

         

  

Ask students to each select one architectural image they find visually engaging and to write down five descriptive words that come to mind when viewing that image. After research into that specific image, students may use other words they see as important.

Instruct students to write a minimal poem of 25 words or less or a classic Haiku verse based on their impressions of the images using at least some of those five words they wrote down.

Next provide each student a photocopy of the specific image chosen. Ask them to use that as a base for creating a mixed media collage combining both the words of their poem and the image of the selected structure. Encourage them to fragment, enlarge, or reduce the architectural images.

Students succeeded in the goal of this assignment, which was to understand the significance of minimalism and its impact on writing, art, and architecture.  They each created an original image combined with a minimal poem based on the impression and impact of a specific piece of architecture.

Reflections

Working with another teacher, especially in another discipline, can be challenging yet very rewarding. It is especially worthwhile when there is a joint vision of motivating students creatively and seeing their potential of increased awareness in a number of fields.

Materials and Resources

·      White drawing paper or illustration board

·      Felt tip markers, water color, pen and ink, colored pencils

·      Scissors and white glue

·      Use of a photo copy machine

Nicole Brisco is a high school art teacher in Texarkana, Texas, and a member of the SchoolArts Advisory Board. nbrisco@pgisd.net Ken Vieth is an art education author and consultant for Davis Publications. kvieth@crusoe.net  

This article was published in the March 2014 SchoolArts Magazine.