Draw-Interconecctedness︎︎︎
Introduction
We will reflect on the idea of interconnectedness by taking a closer look at the things around us, both externally—in nature and our homes—and internally with ourselves. If we take a closer look at every part of a house, body, or of the elements in nature, can we trace lines of interconnectedness?
Try this with your family. It is an opportunity to connect with others while sharing an experience of a place or landscape.
Materials/Preparation
- If possible, do this exercise outside to connect with the landscape around you. You might find more surprising elements in an open environment!
- You will need a light-colored piece of fabric (like an old pillowcase, bedsheet, shirt, or a piece of canvas) and something to draw or paint with (try sharpies, pastels, old makeup, or paint).
- Optional: Scissors and a piece of string for the Go Further part of the exercise.
Warm-Up/Meditation
- Let's move our bodies a bit before we start. If you can, stand. Take three deep breaths: inhale to connect with what is above us and exhale to connect with what is below.
- With each deep breath, open your arms on the inhale as if you were embracing the sky above. As you exhale, bend over, close your arms around your body, and imagine you’re letting the earth below embrace you.
- Repeat it three times, or as many as needed!
Exercise
Choose a place in your home or outside where you like to spend time. Lay the fabric on the ground so that it connects you with the spot you chose. If there is room, lie down on the fabric. If it’s a smaller piece, you can try placing your hand or arm on the fabric. Trace an outline of your body or hand. If you have outlined your hand, keep your hand on the fabric and lie on your back.
Carefully observe what is around you. What is underneath you? What is above you? How do they interconnect? What affects your body? What makes you feel good? Where does that manifest in your body? Is there a word to represent it? Think about the expansiveness of the sky above us, the clouds, the birds, and how we all connect with the land.
Use your drawing or painting materials to record your observations and feelings onto the fabric around your outline.
Once you finish describing everything you feel on the outside, let’s connect with what is inside us. Turn to lie on your belly and close your eyes. How does the ground feel? How does your body feel? Where do you feel it? Think about the earth’s embrace and your connection to the land.
Record your observations inside the outline.
Tip: You can record your observations directly on the outline where they are felt in the body. You can also use the strength of the strokes and colors to reflect the intensity of the feelings. There is no right or wrong – the most important thing is to keep drawing. The more observations you can fill the fabric with, the better!
Go Further
If you are feeling more adventurous, let’s connect with the elements around us and make a final object with which to remember this experience. Use this moment to walk around the area you chose. Look for objects that catch your attention and bring you joy. What elements do you feel like touching? What are the objects that you deeply relate to?
Collect the objects you would like to keep close and wrap them in the fabric, using string to tie everything together. This object is now your amulet that celebrates the interconnectedness in everyday objects, perceptions, and relationships. Hang on to it!
We will reflect on the idea of interconnectedness by taking a closer look at the things around us, both externally—in nature and our homes—and internally with ourselves. If we take a closer look at every part of a house, body, or of the elements in nature, can we trace lines of interconnectedness?
Try this with your family. It is an opportunity to connect with others while sharing an experience of a place or landscape.
Materials/Preparation
- If possible, do this exercise outside to connect with the landscape around you. You might find more surprising elements in an open environment!
- You will need a light-colored piece of fabric (like an old pillowcase, bedsheet, shirt, or a piece of canvas) and something to draw or paint with (try sharpies, pastels, old makeup, or paint).
- Optional: Scissors and a piece of string for the Go Further part of the exercise.
Warm-Up/Meditation
- Let's move our bodies a bit before we start. If you can, stand. Take three deep breaths: inhale to connect with what is above us and exhale to connect with what is below.
- With each deep breath, open your arms on the inhale as if you were embracing the sky above. As you exhale, bend over, close your arms around your body, and imagine you’re letting the earth below embrace you.
- Repeat it three times, or as many as needed!
Exercise
Choose a place in your home or outside where you like to spend time. Lay the fabric on the ground so that it connects you with the spot you chose. If there is room, lie down on the fabric. If it’s a smaller piece, you can try placing your hand or arm on the fabric. Trace an outline of your body or hand. If you have outlined your hand, keep your hand on the fabric and lie on your back.
Carefully observe what is around you. What is underneath you? What is above you? How do they interconnect? What affects your body? What makes you feel good? Where does that manifest in your body? Is there a word to represent it? Think about the expansiveness of the sky above us, the clouds, the birds, and how we all connect with the land.
Use your drawing or painting materials to record your observations and feelings onto the fabric around your outline.
Once you finish describing everything you feel on the outside, let’s connect with what is inside us. Turn to lie on your belly and close your eyes. How does the ground feel? How does your body feel? Where do you feel it? Think about the earth’s embrace and your connection to the land.
Record your observations inside the outline.
Tip: You can record your observations directly on the outline where they are felt in the body. You can also use the strength of the strokes and colors to reflect the intensity of the feelings. There is no right or wrong – the most important thing is to keep drawing. The more observations you can fill the fabric with, the better!
Go Further
If you are feeling more adventurous, let’s connect with the elements around us and make a final object with which to remember this experience. Use this moment to walk around the area you chose. Look for objects that catch your attention and bring you joy. What elements do you feel like touching? What are the objects that you deeply relate to?
Collect the objects you would like to keep close and wrap them in the fabric, using string to tie everything together. This object is now your amulet that celebrates the interconnectedness in everyday objects, perceptions, and relationships. Hang on to it!
Welcome to mapping collaboration, a toolbox for workshopping and creating across disciplines...
In spite of a long history of interdisciplinary creation, from our earliest recorded arts to our present moment, artistic pedagogy has created divisions between disciplines. This has left artists in a "post-Babel" condition where we don't share the same language and definitions. It’s also encouraged artists to develop practices for devising, creating and composing work that are distinct to their disciplines.
In spite of a long history of interdisciplinary creation, from our earliest recorded arts to our present moment, artistic pedagogy has created divisions between disciplines. This has left artists in a "post-Babel" condition where we don't share the same language and definitions. It’s also encouraged artists to develop practices for devising, creating and composing work that are distinct to their disciplines.
The inspiration for this project came from faculty and students at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts where BFA, MFA and PhD programs in Dance, Theatre Production and Design, Visual Art, Film, and Music and Sound all work together in studio settings and playfully experiment with processes of art-making.
We wanted to create a database of projects, assignments and theory that we collect inside the studio and from research happening in other places. We are curious about how we collaborate and how structures reoccur, translate and deviate from one discipline to another.
Composition is central to these processes and offers a base for our approaches and experiments. We are excited about what our students are doing and inspired by the new languages in contemporary art and performance we continue to see develop.
︎︎︎select a category above to build assignments, learn more about how artists process ideas across disciplines and to create a collaborative process of your own
︎︎︎these tools are collected and used in workshops and classes; some are resources from artists; some are quotes about art-making and how bodies think and listen; others are ideas to expand and disrupt your own training and processes.
︎︎︎Each idea is intentially short- and not meant to be executed as written, but to be adapted to your own practice and specific project/context. Some may be taken in parts or combined with others to spark new ways of training and making together.
︎︎︎submit your own ideas and tools so we can keep building this site!
︎︎︎select a category above to build assignments, learn more about how artists process ideas across disciplines and to create a collaborative process of your own
︎︎︎these tools are collected and used in workshops and classes; some are resources from artists; some are quotes about art-making and how bodies think and listen; others are ideas to expand and disrupt your own training and processes.
︎︎︎Each idea is intentially short- and not meant to be executed as written, but to be adapted to your own practice and specific project/context. Some may be taken in parts or combined with others to spark new ways of training and making together.
︎︎︎submit your own ideas and tools so we can keep building this site!
