Bo'ness Academy Creative Collaboration
To mark the Queens 90th birthday, Edinburgh Napier’s Product Design programme and pupils from Bo’ness Academy art department collaborated on an innovative sand casting workshop on Blackness Castle Beach. Students from both Edinburgh Napier and Bo’ness Academy created commemorative art works comprising the design and production of 40 plus bass relief sculptures, cast in pewter into moulds, created directly from the beach at Blackness Castle.
To mark the Queens 90th birthday, Edinburgh Napier’s Product Design programme and pupils from Bo’ness Academy art department collaborated on an innovative sand casting workshop on Blackness Castle Beach. Students from both Edinburgh Napier and Bo’ness Academy created commemorative art works comprising the design and production of 40 plus bass relief sculptures, cast in pewter into moulds, created directly from the beach at Blackness Castle.
The workshop used traditional craft making processes to introduce sustainable manufacturing processes, using a ‘making through doing’ approach to learning.
Richard Firth and Trent Jennings (Programme leader and lecturer for BDes (Hons) Product Design) ran the project and have worked on similar outdoor learning and teaching experiences in both Scotland and Norway.
Richard Firth commented “Increasingly we are aiming to integrate our teaching and learning experiences into communities out with the University. Observing our second year product design students organising, delivering and mentoring S4 and S6 pupils through this innovative learning workshop, has been a terrific validation of learning by teaching and the impact of the widening participation process”.
Manna Dobo, art teacher at Bo’ness Academy continued, “This has been a wonderful example of learning by doing. It has shown that projects that are experimental are incredibly worthwhile. It encourages a growth mindset in the pupils by allowing them to let go of pre-conceived ideas and showing that they are capable of doing much more than they thought.
This workshop has empowered our pupils with a new skillset, work attitude and enthusiasm that they will be able to utilise in many other contexts. They will also be able to pass these skills on to pupils’ coming after them and this will create a long lasting legacy".
This workshop has empowered our pupils with a new skillset, work attitude and enthusiasm that they will be able to utilise in many other contexts. They will also be able to pass these skills on to pupils’ coming after them and this will create a long lasting legacy".
Mima Fair, year 2 BDes (Hons) Product Design, added “This was a very worthwhile and eye opening experience. It taught me the process of sand casting that no books or tutorial could ever teach me. I really enjoyed it and it was great for the class to bond over. It was very rewarding seeing the end results and doing something practical out with the university”.
A celebration will be held at Merchiston campus during More than a Degree Show 2016 to celebrate the work produced.
www.edinburghnapierdegreeshow.info