BODY AND MATTER, REUSE AND EXTENSION
with RUTE ROSAS
WORKSHOP PROGRAM
This workshop begins with the notions and potential of the body, action, the manufacture of extensions, and the reuse of materials, with the main objective of developing collective work: the parts and the whole. Our bodies, with the materials provided by Interecycling, in addition to discarded materials from the textile universe, extend into new bodies, constructed bodies, involving thinking and doing together. The procedures and constructions result in a Happening and an After of our bodies: the Soft Sculptures, in the time and space of the FBAUP Galeria do Museu.
THE WORKING GROUP
Anita Indare (AAL)
Donald Sufka (ABAC)
Fiona Frei (ABAC)
Elhia Mortier (TALM)
Jessica Sergi (ABAC)
Lei Wang (TALM)
Liene Mackus (AAL)
Maria Palma (FBAUP)
Martín H. Molín (FBAUP)
Teresa Bastos (FBAUP)
Pedagogical Approach — Fact Sheet
Workshop title: Body and Matter: reuse and extension
Author/coordinator: Rute Rosas
Duration/time span: 4 days (29 hours)
Body and Matter: reuse and extension starts from the notions and potential of the body, action, the manufacture of extensions and the reuse of materials, with the main objective of developing collective work: the parts and the whole. With the materials provided by Interecycling and discarded materials from the textile universe, our bodies are extended into new bodies constructed involving thinking and doing together. The procedures and constructions result in a Happening and an aftermath of our bodies: the Soft Sculptures in the time and space of FBAUP, the Museum.
Context and program
Materials and methodologies
Bodies of the Body and their extensions equally addressed themes and ways of operating and producing artistically and collectively. Addressing the concept of soft sculpture, theoretical presentations were made on different approaches to the body (resulting from the bibliography provided); collaborative and participatory practices; action and performance; construction and spatial composition, with references from various works and authors, in addition to collective projects.
With the collection and analysis of materials to be reused, a diversity of possibilities for carrying out manufacturing procedures was enhanced, but also using other resources such as audio and video, carried out based on the intuitions, concerns and ideas presented by the students, considering their previous experience and their portfolios.
Organization of the workspace and general planning of interventions, as well as of the subgroups in constant communication that started with me: Collection of images, production of videos of actions worked on as a team; audio and video capture of sounds produced by the actions of bodies with materials.
The last few days were dedicated to rehearsals and in situ construction of the collective space for the intervention with debate and respective reformulations for the general rehearsal of the happening at the Museum and organization of waste, manufacturing and audiovisual work.
One of the most motivating factors for the results obtained was the way in which the students connected with each other, using all the possible resources of FBAUP, including workshops, gardens, other rooms and spaces with, for example, different acoustics, scales, colors, textures, but also obsolete furniture collected… not resorting directly to their own body, in most cases, but using the body and the connection between the different bodies (the group) as a means and tool, in the relationship with the spaces, deepening their capacities of perception and analysis, sensory predisposition, attention and curiosity.
Key issues
Results and observations
The results exceeded expectations, considering that most of the students in this group had no previous experience with this approach to plastic construction – either in terms of materials or in terms of group creation and implementation.
Rosas, Rute. (2020). “A memória das tuas mãos” / “The Memory of Your Hands”. In Corpo, Espaço, Matéria (pp. 14–21). Instituto de Investigação em Arte, Design e Sociedade (i2ADS), Faculdade de Belas-Artes – Universidade do Porto.
Veloso, Inês. 2020). “Um corpo e seis mãos” / “One Body and Six Hands”. In Corpo, Espaço, Matéria (pp. 91–95). Instituto de Investigação em Arte, Design e Sociedade (i2ADS), Faculdade de Belas-Artes – Universidade do Porto.
References
(specific bibliography made available to students in advance)
Information provided and reviewed by each workshop coordinator. Content may be revised or updated.