To start with the invitations around the art of words (2nd pathfinder), I have drawn the map of Iceland and the one of Ukraine leaving the ocean in the middle, we have talked about the metaphor of building a bridge of words to reach our new friends in Ukraine.
In the middle of these maps we have also played 2 dragons, one that comes from Iceland, another that comes from Ukraine, who meet and ask friendly questions.
With the 4th grade, we started the design games looking for different ways to write the word: Hello. My invitation was to write in a cardboard and then make the word in a textile.
The invitation to the art of making question was not an easy task, but little by little, each one found their question for a friend in Ukraine. My invitation was to take yarn and textiles as elements to create letters. Some chose to sew, some found their way carving styrofoam and stuffing with threads. The girls chose to combine elements and techniques.
Not all the questions could be reflected in an artwork, and it seems important to me to write them as the kids wrote them: Wot's op. What´s up. How is your day? What is your name? Hvað er þu gömul? (How old are you?) What kind of movie or video game do you like more? What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite musicians? Who do you love?
With the older kids, from 5th to 7th grade we have started the design games investigating the Ukrainian alphabet.
My invitation was to write using textiles and looking for different letter forms: Hello in both Icelandic and Ukrainian languages.
A comment from one girl, that we all agreed was: - Our alphabet seems to be made of letters, its alphabet seems to be made of pictures-
It wasn't easy to write totally new letters like those of the Ukrainian alphabet on fabrics, but it felt like a bridging experience.
The invitation to the art of making question took as a starting point a video about Ukraine, as a way of arousing curiosity. The students wrote the questions raised by what they saw. Then, I have invited them to create a comic (text and images) around their questions.
Not all the questions could be reflected in an artwork, and it seems important to me to write them as the kids wrote them: Snjóar mikíð í Úkræníu? (It is snowing in Ukraine?) It is hot during summer? Is Ukraina a religious country? Er kvikmynða markaður inn í Úkraníu mikill? (Is there a film industry in Ukraine? Do you have a lot of films?) Hefur fátæktin í Úkraníu versna eða batnað með árunum? (Poverty in Ukraine has grown or declined over the years) Af hverju er bara talað um Úkrainí frétunum þegar eithvað ilt gerist? No ofence (Why is the TV only taking about bad news in Úkrainí?) If you could chose a country in the world to live, which country would be? Where do Ukraine people fly the most during vacation? Who is the most famous people in Ukraine?
Sincerely,
Tessa Rivarola
The 11-13 year old young artists from Grand Expo Online School in Ukraine are making and sharing art with six students between 10 and 12 years old and the eight 9 years old from Seyðisfjarðarskóli in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland.
