EDUCATION

Another new development this year for us. We are beginning to work closely with schools and educational providers to design imaginative modular work experience and project based courses for schools and universities. One such recent example of this can be seen below.

Bebington High Sports College 2006 art workshop.

At the start of June 2006, 20 students with ages ranging between 14 - 16, undertook an interesting arts project to construct a sculpture based around a chosen theme of Disability and Prosthetics. Studioscope worked in the school for a number of days, guiding and supervising the students in their work.

For this project the decision was to have the students explore the importance and structure of the human hand, its impact through loss, the difficulties encountered with artificial replacements and the overall impact of the hand in tackling many other forms of disability.

Over 4 days (20 hours in total) the students designed and constructed some 50 separate animatronic hands, cut and shaped all the hundreds of component parts, assembled the structures, posed them in pairs to create words using the sign language alphabet and then mounted them all on a single central structure. The final construction stands nearly 2m tall. Each of the hands was referenced, measured and adapted from the students' own hands. This unusual sculpture reflects the diverse gains of the project, gaining the students valuable knowledge in new materials, art, construction, teamwork, as well as biology, physics, awareness of disability and inclusion and also introduced them to signing.

Titled '...Spark' the artwork is to be exhibited throughout 2006, starting in July at the Williamson Art gallery in Birkenhead as part of wider disability themed project involving several other local schools, alongside The Learning Lighthouse.

Our skills are perfectly suited to this kind of project and through working directly with schools and universities we can again help try to develop a local skill base.

SCHOOLS PROGRAMME

Fully C.R.B. accredited

We are planning to introduce two short modular courses for use within the D&T and Art Departments of schools.
The pupils' course would be aimed at Key Stage 3-5 and would give the pupils a basic introduction to the history, use and types of models used for film, product design and architecture. With lots of interesting examples and tips, the course is planned to help boost pupils' interest and success in the physical construction elements of their subjects.
The Teachers' course on the other hand, will consist of a number of evening classes and will be of use to those wishing to gain extra experience in commonly available materials, their best handling and equipment, with an emphasis on good, reliable and easily passed on techniques and examples, all of which can be used to increase pupil interest and success within the class room.

UNIVERSITY

For this service we are planning a series of modular 1-3 day courses for students of Architecture and Product Design. Introducing basic to advance materials and techniques, tools, model types, useful tips and guidelines on how best to convert ideas into easily achievable results, the course will help students make better models, more rapidly, therefore enabling more time to be spent on the design elements.

These tutorial courses will be available at a set unit price and are aimed at groups of up to 25 students. Details on courses will be published shortly.

The university course will tie neatly in with the use of the SRU workshop by visiting students. Hopefully together we can help develop the model making skills of the universities within Liverpool, so aiding in the final degree results achieved.