The Learning Innovation Hub is host to a recent installation of weavings created by 5- and 6-year-old students. Please read our earlier story about the start of this ECF 5 project.
Visitors to the exhibition are invited to look closely at the 50 tiny weavings completed by the students this year; to add their own threads to the giant three-dimensional sculptural weaving; and to listen to the individual and collaborative stories they can trigger by touching the weavings on the round table.
“The exhibition brings together textile and technology to tell stories, but above all, it is an exhibition of weaving,” Akshaya Krishnamoorthy, ISP’s Atelierista
“The students have been working with weaving since the school year started in August. We began with strips of paper and the idea of up-down, or over and under. The students moved on to work with yarn and tiny wooden looms made for us in the Idea Lab, and then began collaborating on larger woven pieces and the stories that go with them.”
“Akshaya came to me last summer, and said, ‘I have this idea – what if students made a giant weaving that could speak – is that even possible?’” says Technology and Innovation Coach Dr. Elizabeth Perry. “I told her ‘I’m sure we could do that!’ and then I went back to the Idea Lab to figure it out. It’s such a joy to share these big collaborative innovative ideas with teachers and students, and then to have the facilities and support to carry them out.”
The talking weavings use a small microcontroller board called a MaKey-MaKey and the Scratch programming language to play back the stories the students have recorded when conductive buttons are pressed.
“One of the highlights of the exhibition opening for me, was a moment when the talking weavings weren’t working properly,” says Dr. Perry, “and a six-year-old began to troubleshoot, and within moments she had found and fixed the broken connection.”
“It’s important to recognize and celebrate even the youngest students’ capabilities as artists. We take their work very seriously,” Akshaya Krishnamoorthy, ISP’s Atelierista
“This exhibition is evidence of children as capable creators. They can work on a monumental scale with sculptures larger than themselves or produce delicate handheld pieces of weavings – all while exploring and tinkering with new technology,” says Ms. Krishnamoorthy.
Curiosity driven inquiry is at the heart of all the programmes in the IB Continuum (PYP, MYP, DP and CP) as this is what is needed to develop self-directed creative changemakers.
ISP Learning Principle: Learners’ curiosity drives what and how they learn.
IB Standards & Practices: Teachers use inquiry, action and reflection to develop natural curiosity in students.
The exhibition continues at the ISP Learning Innovation Hub through March 4, though the space will be closed during the February break, February 19-28.
- Artists: Abi 6.3 years, Alia 5.8 years, Benji 7.7 years, Bjorn 6.3 years, Brooks 5.7 years, Cornelia 5.6 years, Daniel.E 5.9 years, Daniel.G 5.5 years, David 6 years, Elizabet 6.2 years, Ellie 6.6 years, Emma 5.7 years, Emmillie 6 years, Everly 6.6 years, Gefen 6.1 years, George 6.2 years, Guilia 5.11 years, Gul 6.5 years, Harper 6.2 years, Isabelle 6.1 years, Juliet 5.8 years, Kristian 5.10 years, Miali 5.7 years, Misa 6.5 years, Natan 5.4 years, Nika 5.11 years, Niv 5.7 years, Patric 6.2 years, Rozi 6.7 years, Sara 5.2 years, Sawyer 6.7 years, Sunyong 5.11 years, Toni 6.6 years, Umar 5.6 years and Wawrina 6.4 years. (age of artists as of 14th Feb 2022)
- Atelierista: Akshaya Krishnamoorthy
- Technologista: Dr. Elizabeth Perry
- Carpenters: Milan Truneček and Ladislav Ligocký
- Transportation and logistics: Svatopluk Soukup
- Support: Martin Valasek and Ondřej Luňáček
