Course Description

    • REQUIREMENTS AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

      The course was directed to European students of last three years of architectural and fine arts degree, without any special prior requirements or skills.

       

      GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT

      "Working With Hands" was an intensive course within the context of A.T.H.E.N.S (Advanced high education network) autumn announcement and was held at the School of Architecture of Madrid during the third week of November 2011. More than thirty hours a group of twenty students, coming from different European universities, along with six, Spanish and Greek, teachers, developed an innovative learning experience with both practical and theoretical sessions, all of them taught in English. “Hands” were taken as the starting point to carry out certain “defamiliarization” processes that concluded in new ways of acquiring knowledge.

       

      OBJETIVES: KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

      The main objective of the course was to propose new strategies for promoting creativity in learning through singular practices. The common thread of these experiences were “hands” that were placed at the center of human activity, from the daily survival level to the artistic one, being contemplated as makers, models, mediums and instruments of art.

      This goal, aimed to force comprehension and analysis of everyday reality, through progressive approaches of “estrangement”.

      A metaphorical course with an open issue without a direct utility - taking the human body as the starting point to deal with items that emphasize similarities and differences and opens space to reflections about diversity, community and cartography.

       
      TEACHING MATERIAL

      The teaching material candidates worked with was related to all aspects of our hands. Philosophical and scientific texts were given, as well as visual references like images and videos of several artists. New images and new videos of all students modeling, painting, acting, knitting, and making all actions were produced in which clay, wool, papers, instruments like castanets and other were used.

       

      EVALUATION ACTIVIVTIES OR PRACTICAL TASKS

      All the activities of the course were in a continuous schedule designed to make any evaluation system through individual tasks not necessary. The attendance and the completion of the course was enough for the student to be qualified depending on the level of his or her involvement on the course.