Guest blog: Objects of desire workshop at Belmont Park School

Sam and Tori visited our school on the 22nd of April and worked with our KS4 art students. They brought in a huge amount of beautifully curated materials (cardboard, fabrics, buttons, pens, objects; including examples of ‘remade’ objects in fabric and cardboard). The students arrived in the classroom and were greeted by a mound of materials, one of them whispered to me, “It’s like art Christmas!”

They delivered a really concise introduction, which was pitched really well to our students, and I was really impressed by their warmth and generosity towards our students from the very beginning. All students produced a drawing using their heart prompt sheets which helped relax them into the making part of the session. I was really surprised to see that the students took so quickly to drawing – it’s an activity that even our KS4 students normally struggle with. There were smiles and laughter when we shared our pictures with the group. The students were really warm and encouraging with one another – “Your drawing is sick!” This atmosphere was nurtured by Sam and Tori, who saw and discussed the drawings each in turn. Every student gained confidence and was validated.

When students were invited to select and open a box, each containing an object, Sam and Tori moved around the students, asking them their thoughts and feelings on the objects which had been unboxed. A few swaps were made with alternative objects which better suited each of the students’ interests, and others were encouraged to adapt to the challenge. When faced with a Walkman, Jacob was proud he knew what the object was, before telling me that I was “bare old”.

When students started gathering recycled materials to remake their objects, there was a sense of wonderment. It’s a brave decision to give students complete freedom over their decisions in a lesson, especially when they are unknown to the adults in the room. Often, when we have visitors to the school, they are more comfortable having prescribed activities and materials, but the trust that Sam and Tori had meant that they saw a much more authentic version of our students. It made me very proud to see them work in this way and to be given such a huge amount of trust.

During the most practical making session, Tori and Sam went to each student individually and helped them realise new skills very quickly. We had students hand-sewing, making button loops, and custom-made moulds for their objects to be housed in. We had Faheem (who had sadly hurt his finger), itching to use an electric drill to create the largest piece of art in the room. Despite being uncomfortable because of his hand, he took every opportunity to work physically, confidently directing adults when he was unable to use his hand. This was pretty huge for him, as he has struggled in the past to speak confidently (and appropriately) to adults. The same with Aliza, who has massive confidence issues, and needs a lot of reassurance from staff around her. She made a beautiful object and was genuinely delighted with the results. She hasn’t stopped spudding me since! Now, she’ll run down the corridor to say hello and ask me how I am; whereas her first few weeks in the school were really hard for her, and she struggled to make any connections with staff and students. She said she hated being here and would not make eye contact with anybody. The afternoon after the workshop, she worked in the allotment doing some weeding, she then asked to do some hand-writing with our Deputy Head. She has very poor fine-motor skills, and when I expressed that I was surprised she wanted to do handwriting, she told me that today was the happiest she’d felt in a long time and that she knew that she was good at working with her hands. This is a direct consequence of her time spent with Sam and Tori. Lastly, another huge breakthrough was AJ, who expressed that she found it really hard to work in a group of people and that she would change “everything” about the workshop, except Sam and Tori. Despite having such profound difficulties meeting and working with new people, she spent extra time at the end of the session helping to clear up and chatting and laughing with Sam and Tori. This is a great breakthrough for her, as she usually goes mute around new people and hides under tables.

The students expressed a lot of pleasure seeing the presentation that was put together celebrating their work. It’s really good to have visual ‘story-telling’ of a day which went so quickly, as well as the objects themselves. Other students came to see the work, and the feedback has been so positive.

What did you enjoy about today’s workshop?

Seeing the students’ confidence grow, and the relationships they quickly established with Sam and Tori. S and T were really receptive to a lot of cues from our students, who all have SEN. They adapted their workshop and pitched it very well to our students’ needs. I loved the trust that Sam and Tori gave our students, giving them access to a huge range of materials and also professional tools such as high-quality scissors, craft knives, and expensive consumer objects to remake.

What would you change about today’s workshop?

From the feedback I’ve got from the students, they would have preferred to remake objects of their own choosing. Having said this, I thought it was good to challenge them all. I would have also liked more of a feedback session from the end for the students, but they were fatigued and anxious to go and get lunch (aren’t we all after a busy morning spent making).

How would you rate it?

A solid 10 from me!

I loved the trust and freedom that Sam and Tori gave our students, giving them access to a huge range of materials, new ideas and insights into the process of making. I don’t think I can put it better than AJ, who told me, “It is like art Christmas!”