Partner Denmark, Charlotte Harder

Sculptures and poetry at Albertslund Ungecenter, Denmark

This school year we have decided to turn our attention to sculptures and combine that with poetry to show the connection between the two. Both media express feelings and sensations in a unique way both when observed and when produced. We find that our students feel alienated to both art forms but once they are properly introduced, they embrace it fully and enjoy exploring more.

Introduction to sculptures

We began with a guided tour in a local residents area where the residents themselves have established a so called “Sculpture Bank”. Renowned artists from Denmark and other European countries exhibit their sculptures when they are not exhibited elsewhere. The sculptures are placed in the residential area in spots that suits them well and so it is an exhibition for the residents as well as the many visitors in the area. It is possible to book a guided tour with one of the founders of the idea and we took the students on one of these guided tours.

The tour was very successful. Our students were showing interest and asked lots of questions and commented on the various sculptures. They could see how varied the materials and expressions were and so they became informed about what a sculpture is and why it is interesting for people to make and for others to look at. There were sculptures for every taste and all the students found some of interest.

In the workshop

We have a small workshop for all kinds of creative work, metal and wood work. We have been working on birds houses and decorating old chairs, turning some of them into works of art, sculptures rather than chairs. We find that the students creativity develop through assignments where we twist the way we view an object. Birds house can be decorated with Graffiti or scary themes from Emo culture… the birds will still use them. A chair can be decorated with tiny butterflies making it too delicate to sit in, and then it is an object we could call a sculpture. It is often difficult to engage both genders in the same assignment.

We have worked with soap stone, which is an easy material for anyone to begin with. Sand stone has the feel of a stone but is a bit softer to work with and so we can use the tools that we use for carving and sanding wood.  This is something the boys find exciting and they work continuously for hours and hours with enthusiasm and never stop for a break. The teacher works on her own little sculpture to inspire the students and show them how it can be done. The boys have produced a few of their own and the teacher then began to encourage them to use more energy on one piece, polishing and refining it so that it would be nice and smooth. We find the boys work in flow and they relax during their work, making it enjoyable. These boys have ADHD and find it very difficult to sit and work for longer periods of time, so this is very helpful for them.

We plan on making other sculptures from metal scrap and we expect the boys to be equally thrilled about that. We have found another material especially for the girls, as they have not been very keen on the soap stones.

Art Therapy in everyday class

From early on, we decided to implement Art Therapy in the everyday class so it is not a separate topic but rather something our students are used to by now and very much integrated in the ordinary topics we teach. That is also the reason why we combine sculptures and poetry. This enables us to work on it for a longer period of time and it also shows the students how art is related and can be used by anyone to relax the mind. The students discover new skills and ways to use their imagination. This is very helpful for them in their complicated lives where they struggle with all kinds of problems, academically and socially as well as psychologically. We find the use of Art Therapy essential when teaching these students.

Art therapy Charlotte from jekanene