As part of the big draw Reachout RCA asked me to design a workshop for ±15 year old students of Erith school in Erith, Kent.

My workshop was called ‘SQUARE thinking’.  The goal and intention of this workshop is opening up eyes to ways of seeing and dealing with briefs. In this case this is applied to drawing, but easy applicable to many other subjects. What I try to provoke is the awareness that thinking for them selves is beneficial and much more fun for yourself and the people around you.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Square thinking; Discovering your ability to change briefs and to make them into your own through drawing. As part of my graduation project 'The world is square' this is a workshop to open eyes in how to deal with a brief in a personal and creative way.

- Draw a house a chair and a mug and see... This results in rather Iconic, standard images of the objects.

- Now draw a house a chair and a mug but think what you would like them to be? Ask yourself questions like; What is important? Where is it? When is it? And most important Why is it? 

- By doing this you have created your own brief. By answering these questions you made your own little story that makes drawing a house, a chair and a mug much more interesting. 

- So what happens next time somebody asks them to draw or make a thing?

What you discovered about:

1. Drawing and Design:
Drawing is a tool, just like a hammer you use it when you need it, but it can be very convenient to use when you need to explain idea's to yourself or another.

2. Working with young people:

The kids are amazing, and i think this is the time to learn how simple it can be to make a brief your own. Later this can be applied on anything and this is so valuable.

3. Your own work
Square thinking is a concept from my graduation that I try to expand into educational projects.

This workshop I also thought to people of the age 13 16-17 and 20+

On the right you can see some images of the exhibition of the work the students made.