GCSEExemplar AssignmentContemporaryCraftsDesign for Living Putting the Present into the Past(For first teaching from September 2013)

Introduction

CCEA has developed new GCSE specifications for first teaching from September 2013. This exemplar assignment has been designed to support you in introducing the new specification.

We have produced this assignment as an example of one way of delivering the content of the specification. It provides a framework of teaching and learning activities which is designed to be delivered over the course of a school term. We have also produced a Planning and Writing Assignments Checklist which you can use when developing your own assignments.

Please remember that assessment is based on the specification which details the knowledge, understanding and skills that students need to acquire during the course. You should therefore use the specification and the assessment criteria and mark bands when planning any teaching and learning activities.

A Microsoft Word version of this exemplar assignment is available on the subject microsite on the CCEA website (www.ccea.org.uk/microsites). You will be able to amend it to suit your circumstances.

I hope you find this support useful in your teaching.

Best wishes

Joan NelsonEducation Manager

Design for LivingPutting the Present into the

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Background

The atmosphere of an unused building, a place that is not actively lived-in or a property that is largely empty, has a special quality. Standing, thinking, looking around, one sees the structure of the building, architectural details, light and shade, the materials it is made from, the shapes and spaces. If it is an industrial building, students might think about machines and equipment, engines long silent. Domestic households, no longer echoing with voices, laughter, the opening and closing of doors, running taps, barking dogs. Visiting such places evokes imagination and creativity. We can sense imagined characters playing their part in a daily theatre, walking through the rooms and passages, halls and yards.

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Project Brief

Many heritage properties are managed by organisations such as the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the National Trust and English Heritage. Others are privately owned and cared for.

Students have been commissioned by one such organisation to help transform onelargely empty heritage property by designing craft items and artefacts for its rooms, spaces and immediate environment. Some may be offered for sale at gift shops at the location. Although the building may be decades or even centuries old, the organisation is looking both to the present and to the future by asking young designers to respond to its atmosphere and style in a contemporary way.

They want students to show how the best of their new ideas can fit in with and enhance the older nature of the setting and location. However, they also want to see the history and culture of the location reflected in the work and will want to see how students’ideas evolve from inspiration and starting points right through to the finished artefact. The final work may be a single item such as a piece of furniture or a set of items like a pair of candlesticks, three window hangings or six napkin rings.Most work might be intended for indoor display and use, but some consideration of outside space is also welcome.

The teacher will help students to identify a suitable location in their region/town, and through research, visits, drawing,sketching, photography and location observation students will begin to build up a picture of the place and its history, and start to think about how they can respond to it and what they could design.

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Learning Activities

Studentsshould add to their portfolio by:

showing evidence of how they have extensively and creatively explored materials through the workshop activities that are part of this project in order to understand their properties, characteristics and qualities. Show actual sample pieces and tests. Sketch, annotate and make notes as theyprogress to demonstrate what they learn about the media and processes. Students should be able to show how this links to their intentions.

demonstrating through tests, models and samples how they plan to apply selected techniques in the production of their final outcome.

makingdrawings/sketches and taking photographs from primary source material to inspire ideas and planning. The photographs should capture the atmosphere and mood of the selected location. Take a further set of images that concentrate on close-up details of textures, architectural detail and motifs. Students can then manipulate selected images using suitable software to help develop their ideas.

includingnotes and comments about the property they have selected.

compiling a research book/sketchbook that shows relevant research into other source material, including research into craft makers, designers and artists who have used this theme and/or have used particular craft processes in their work.

including in their research a more in-depth illustrated case study of around 200 words about one craft maker, designer or artist, whose work, techniques or imagery has inspired them. Students should think about the 'W's: who, when, what, why and how, and be sure to express their responses fully identifying which aspects of the work impressed them.

producing sketch books/sheets that might includedrawings, notes, moodboards, sample boards, test pieces or maquettes to show a range of possible ideas for a final outcome that they have developed based on their research and observation. Students should show how their ideas have evolved, noting their inspiration and sources. Written notes and annotations help their thinking and show others how their ideas are forming as they progress. Students should write notes as they go along.

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creating a project plan to show how they intend to produce their final outcome. It should identify what materials and processes they intend to use, the timescale, technical considerations, size, scale, cost and any constraints they anticipate. Students should indicate how they hope to deal with these constraints.

keeping notes on all aspects of Health and Safety, making sure they are thorough in demonstrating how this applies specifically to their work throughout this project.

planning to present their final work in a suitable form to their client, teachers and peers.

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Learning Activities (cont.)

including written comments that represent their thoughts and reflections as they progress through their work. Students should finish this project by writing an informed evaluation of their work on the project, referring to the 'Notes for Students on Writing Evaluations' (see page 10). They must use relevant technical terms and language.

Learning Outcomes

Through this project students will:

develop making and craft skills by using a range of techniques and processes;

demonstrate how they can develop a personal response to a brief and work towards presenting a personal final outcome;

use a range of skills to show progress in their work as they work towards producing a final outcome. These might include, for example, drawings, sketches, plans, maquettes and samples;

show an awareness of craft makers and the craft industry;

use the formal elements of visual language in 2D and/or 3D to express their ideas;

identify relevant health and safety practice throughout their working process;

reflect on their achievement in a written evaluation; and

present their final work in a suitable form to their client, teacher and peers.

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Assessment

All work will be assessed against the three Assessment Objectives for this GCSE.These are:

AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the properties and characteristics of materials, associated making techniques and processes, and the variety of contexts for professional practice.

AO2 Apply skills, knowledge and understanding of materials, techniques and processes in developmental work and outcome(s).

AO3 Evidence the ability to resolve learning through developmental work and in the production of the final outcome.

Additional Information

Primary sources for this project could include the following:digital photographs of buildings, interior and exterior details, close-ups of materials, textures, motifs, possible sites and positions for their design, such as specific rooms, hallways, window-sills, niches, floors, walls, doorways, lobbies or roof spaces.

Primary sources naturally include the location and the property, its position in the landscape and surrounding area.

Examples of suitable properties might include the following:towers, windmills, castles, abbeys, churches, cathedrals, chapels, follies, smithies, power-stations, lighthouses, weaving sheds, cottages, industrial premises, gasworks, railway, tram and bus stations, water tower, pumping station, factories and workshops, warehouses, cinemas and theatres, country houses, agricultural buildings.

Drawings/sketches could include all of the above, as well as other artefacts and items related to the styleor period students are studying, for example, Norman carvings, Art Deco tableware, Arts and Crafts furniture, 50s, 60s and 70s architecture, and the many contemporary examples of design, motifs and style that can influence their work.

Secondary sources could include the Internet. Students should be encouraged to check their sources, list the sites they actually use to help progress their work and fully credit every site from which they have taken any information, written or visual. Students

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should not simply print off pages of material and say that this is their own research!

However, a good start is to put the following into a search engine: ‘heritage buildings Northern Ireland’.

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Websites

Specific websites which have given good results include:

www.discovernorthernireland.com

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional

www.uahs.org.uk(Ulster AgriculturalHeritage Society)

www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/(for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency)

www.craftni.org/craftmap/

National Trust, Tourist Information centres and organisations, heritage societies and trusts.

Several of the artists, designers and craftspractitioners listed below designed for a similar project in 1996, Living at Belsay,(www.heritageexplorer.co.uk/file/he/content/upload/10907.pdf). These, and the related websites listed, offer an excellent starting point to the wealth of information about contemporary crafts, commissioning, work for specific sites and locations and in every possible medium, and will give students an immediate and comprehensive overview of the range and scope of the contemporary crafts in the United Kingdom.

Claire Barber (teaches at Huddersfield University)www.sallygreaves-lord.comwww.metaljon.com/html/pub_metal.htmwww.timsteadfurniture.co.ukwww.matthewburt.com/portfolio/index.phpwww.commissionacraftsman.com/search.asp?sg=Jewellery

www.craftlinks.co.ukwww.craftscouncil.org.uk/explore-craft/image-librarywww.100craftlinks.com/cgi-bin/ldb/ldb.pl

www.ccoi.ie(Crafts Council of Ireland)www.craftscouncil.org.ukwww.britishcraftscouncil.orgwww.photostore.org.uk/HOME.aspx

A current discussion about the role of the crafts:www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2013/may/07/crafts-creative-industries-dcms

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www.folksy.com/shops/CraftsCouncilwww.craftni.org/opportunities

What Could Students Make?Of course this largely depends on the resources and facilities in the centre, and to which studentscan get safe and ready access. The list of potential craft skills is extensive, and the list of possible outcomes endless.

Ways of working, outcomes and approaches could include:

Stained-glass window for an abbey, church or cathedral;Ceramic jardinière;Sconces for an historic building;Glazed panel above a door;Textile hanging for a castle;Tapestry, embroidery, felting, appliqué, quilting;Wood carving, stone carving;Furniture, tables, chairs, storage, stools;Rugs, mats;2D or 3D work in metal, embossed, hammered, pierced;Wirework: silver wire jewellery and accessories;Bowls and similar items created through wood-turning on a lathe;Ceramic bowls, vases, decorative pieces, table centrepiece;Fabric print for curtains, drapes, quilt, bed cover;Candlesticks and tableware for an ancient dining-room;Weathervane for an old stables block;Light fittings: suspended, free-standing;Lamp shades inspired by the intended location;Tiles, wall or floor area;Glass sculpture, figurative or abstract;Plaques and reliefs related to industry and machinery;Jewellery based on architectural motifs and styles;Mobiles and hanging pieces;Sundial for a former electricity substation;

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Silk painting and layering, embroidery and textiles inspired by a former weaving shed;Recycled materials from industrial processes used to make new beautiful things;Combining materials, wood and metal, leather and wood;Cushions, upholstery–restoring the style of a forgotten era;Telescope stand for a tower room;

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What Could Students Make?(cont.)

A tray for meals or for games;Card or games table;Children’s toy that evokes the spirit of the place;Clocks, timepieces and mirrors; orCoaster, table-mats, condiment sets.

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Homework

Throughout this project studentswill be expected to work in their own time at home to help progress their assignment. Sometimes they will need to access the Internet, or use resources outside of the classroom or studio at school. Homework will be assessed as part of this project.

Using their chosen building or property as a starting-point, students should investigate the relevant historical period and environment more broadly and produce drawings/sketches in a range of media from relevant objects or locations. This may include museum collections, buildings and structures from the same era, natural and man-made forms.

Investigate the work of an artist/designer and produce a short illustrated report about their work, for example, Paddy Killer, Tim Stead. Students should present this to the class in a suitable form, for example PowerPoint, flipchart, mood board.

Case Study: Find a craftsperson who lives or works locally and investigate their work, the materials they use, who they sell to, how and where their work is exhibited or marketed, what their inspirations and influences are, and if they receive any local or national funding to help support their work. Is this their full-time work or do they supplement their income in some other way? Students should produce an illustrated report that explains what they have found out.

Create a page on Health and Safety rules/instructions/considerations for the materials, processes and techniques they are using. Consider, for example, the safe use of tools and equipment, knowledge and understanding of toxins etc., any protective clothing/barriers needed. This could be in list form or poster/graphic form.

Students should produce a project plan that shows how they will progress their ideas to final outcomes. Include details of technical processes, materials required, time constraints and if possible any information about costs.

Students should write notes as they progress their work at each stage. These notes can be in diary form and they will help them write their evaluation after they have completed the project. These notes should show:- what they are learning;- what they liked about the stage they are working on;- what they hope to do next; and

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- how they might change their work when they come across a particular problem.

Make sure students read their notes when they come to writing their final evaluation.

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Notes for Students on Writing Evaluations

When writing your evaluation, refer to the notes you made in your sketchbook and to the research into craft makers, designers and artists you have already completed. Make sure you answer the following questions:

Which craft makers, designers and artists have influenced me in this project?

What else has inspired my work?

Which materials and processes did I use in my work? Were they appropriate, effective and fit for purpose?

How does my work satisfy the intentions of the brief and its theme?

What parts of my work do I think worked best?

What parts of my work would I improve if I had to do it again?

What problems did I encounter during the project and how did I resolve them?

What have I learned about:- the design process;- getting ideas into order;- techniques and skills, processes and making; and- craft makers, designers and artists and how they work?

How did I manage my time?

What must I remember when it comes to organisation and completing a task on time?

What have I learned about the world of craft through this project?

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