The Creative Process: Share

The final element of the creative process in the Creative Learning Centre is 'share'. This is where visitors, and the artist, leave lasting impressions in the space. constantly reflecting on, and contributing to, the process of Tiffany's work, other visitors' work, and the physical space.

Tiffany Singh opens up the process of making her work, her philosophies and beliefs about her practice, and her art. She does this through a silent film showing her collecting materials, melting wax and creating her artworks. She shares objects that inspire her and reflect her work on shelves throughout the room. These objects range from books about spirituality, jars full of pigment and spices, and raw beeswax and honeycomb. There is text opening up and sharing ideas about the symbolic use of colour in her work, the symbols and nature that feature heavily in her practice. A nostalgic collection of View-Masters share images of past installations that are reflected in her work on display, Dusted with the Spices of a Million Flowers.
 

For our visitors, there are shelves where they can leave their drawings or their sculptures for other people to appreciate in response to the activities. It was important to have a space where the visitor’s voice could be valued; therefore, the shelves where they can put their works are not segregated but are a part of the room. They are the first and last thing you see in the space, they are mixed with the objects Tiffany has left, they are not relegated to an isolated corner.

When children in particular ask me, ‘What do I have to do to get my picture up on the shelf?’ it's so fun to see them burst with excitement when you tell them that they can put whatever they like up there and choose where it goes. Sometimes the enthusiasm to leave their masterpiece fades and they awkwardly hover by it for a moment while a proud parent takes a photograph; they just cannot bear to leave it! Still, the fact that they had the choice to do what they wanted is powerful. The shelves are heavy with the pipe cleaner creatures and the colourful compositions visitors have created.

We have a response wall where visitors share their ideas about the focus colour in the room. The initial focus colour of the room was yellow, and the responses to what yellow reminded people of ranged from funny, touching, and thoughtful. There are the popular options like the sun, flowers, bees, paper, happiness, and summer. Then there are the ones like 'my Grandma's teeth', 'a colour I should wear more', and 'my mum's hugs', which are more personal.

When the room shifted into orange, the responses began to vary. Orange reminded people of Dutch football, Holland, oranges, lollies, traffic cones and high visibility vests, or that the word does not rhyme with anything.

Currently the prompt is ‘Red reminds me of…' What is interesting is of the three colours explored so far, red has prompted the most emotive responses. The ideas are abstract and intangible, less object or nature focused. The board is filled with words like: love, passion, blood, anger, life, fear, fury, equality and revenge. 

Red seems to encompass polarities of emotions for people. People linger at this space for long periods of time, reading other people's ideas, contributing their own, and reflecting on the connections between the responses. It is the part of the room where I have seen the most opportunity for bridging to manifest. 

The elements where people can share in the room have resulted in a space that is changing and evolving with each person who participates here. The Creative Learning Centre therefore feels constantly refreshed and revised, as Tiffany’s artwork and ideas are in conversation with the artwork and ideas of our visitors.  

Sharing creates a balance between the artist's voice, the visitors' voices, and the Gallery's voice. It is through the avenues where people can share, that the Creative Learning Centre exhibition space differs from a traditional exhibition and gallery context.

The Creative Process: Create

Two posts down, two to go! After exploring and experimenting the space, it is important visitors to our Creative Learning Centre have a chance to create something of their own, actively participate and contribute to the room in a tangible way. The elements in the room that allow visitors to create their own work are where you can see how they interpret the artwork and the activities. I have seen the following things created in this space:

Image: David St George

 
 The pipe cleaners have mutated into

• a kiwi
• a cowboy
• a helicopter
• a tank
• the Sky Tower
• flowers
• glasses
• people
• birds
• bees
• a chair

Image: David St George

Pieces of blank paper have been transformed into:

• jars full of lollies
• eyeballs
• family names
• bees
• summer
• bubbles
• homes
• abstract compositions of bees with snazzy patterns and colours
 



Apart from the visible things created in this room, the element of the room I most enjoy is the conversations that this room creates amongst families and strangers. The experiences that are created here, and a feeling of accomplishment and contribution to the space. But more on that when we get to ‘share’...



The Creative Process: Experiment

Following on from my previous Creative Learning Centre post looking at exploring the space, this post looks at the ways people can be experimental in the room. After our keen explorers have had their curiosity piqued, they have opportunities to try things out and find out what happens when you test things in different ways.

Experiment with pipe cleaners and create a sculpture

The activities offer a chance to experiment with materials, with different ways of creating a piece of art. For the tiniest visitors it can be as simple as experimenting how to hold a crayon a different way – how their drawing changes when they hold the crayon on its side. What happens if I apply more pressure or arrange that in this way? How does that change my drawing? On the other hand, trying out what happens when you mix yellow with blue, or blue with red results in delighted squeaks and giggles as they put on glasses with coloured lenses.

Experiment with colour and the different things it can remind us of and represent.

Besides materials and art-making, visitors also experiment with new ideas in the Creative Learning Centre. Perhaps something in the space has changed their perspective on how they saw art, how they saw the Gallery, or their own creative abilities. The possibilities to experiment are seemingly endless and open, there is no ‘right or wrong’ way to do something in the space, its all about giving something a go and enjoying the process.

Experiment with crayons or pencils. Watch your composition magically appear.

We want this space to not only make people curious, but to give opportunities for that curiosity to turn into participation. To give people motivators to engage with the creative process, the artist's work, and their own ideas.

The Creative Process: Explore

This year, the Todd Foundation Creative Learning Centre explores the creative process through Tiffany Singh’s work May the Rainbow Always Touch Your Shoulder. Visitors are invited to explore, experiment, create and share through participating in the space. So, let's start with explore. How are people exploring this space and what exactly are they exploring?

Often people enter the room with questions like, ‘What is this room?’ ‘What is that smell? ‘Can we do something in here?’ ‘Who made that artwork?’

From my own observations of engaging with people in here, there are multiple points of entry for people to explore. Coming into the space, visitors immediately begin to explore the source of the scent of the room, the gentle sounds coming from the wind chimes and the feel of the raw blocks of wax. There is a sense of curiosity on their faces as they wonder what this room is about. 

They are physically exploring the room, carefully looking at each aspect of the space, the wall text, the video, the artworks, and activities, and piecing together the connections between all these elements. They are exploring things by themselves or together with family – sometimes even with strangers.

Viewfinders give visitors a chance to explore previous works Tiffany has created, and at the same time relive their childhood when viewfinders were the height of technology!

I am sure that through the year I will witness dozens more ways that people explore this room that I haven’t even realised yet. If you come into the Creative Learning Centre and visit us, talk to us about how you have explored this space and what you have discovered!

- Selina Anderson, Senior Gallery Educator