DigitalAmandaandtheExpressiveArts

step one: wake up in the alps at The European Graduate School
step two: research the movements of the body (dance) in our first Community Arts Session
step three: study sound and realize i can hear a huge waterfall all the way across the valley
step four: learn to use "hotglue" website

This is Saas Fee home of The European Graduate School (EGS)

my first stop motion animation 2010 --->

Day Two of Digital Arts and Media

theme of the day: Theatre of the Oppressed 1

based on Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Augusto Boal created an alternate theatre style called Forum Theatre. his use of political, personal and radical movement stories fuels each step of his form in a way that seeks to address community and individual issues. through live galleries of images created with human bodies; games that inform, educate, challenge, and promote exploration; and forums that seek to provide alternate ways of looking at community issues an art form is born by the people and for the people.

although i have studied Boal's work in the past, it is fun to revisit this art form in a new way. here at EGS we blend each piece of our learning with the intermodal (involving two or more expressive art forms) style of the Expressive Arts. always seeking to blend my favorite things, i believe i have found a style of learning and a community in which to truly practice ways to integrate all of my interests.

click the links below for more information:

prompt 1: a mask that represents someone/s i admire

result: The Universe Mask. qualities: connections to the earth, the universe, water, fire, and creation. i am thankful to have many of these people in my life

below are three masks i made in class

prompt 2: a mask that represents a childhood cartoon that i loved

result: The Red Fraggle Mask. qualities: loves to play, always wants people to play with, although she's much more competitive and jealous than i am

prompt 3: a mask that represents qualities i do not wish to possess

result: The Shadow Mask. qualities: a nightmare monster, spends lots of time devouring souls and turning anger inward

a quick papercutting i made after a 10 min walk with a classmate. it represents her life and work. --->

Day Three of Digital Arts and Media

theme of the day: Theatre of the Oppressed 2
Amanda's several steps to facilitating as well as participating in Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed workshops:
1) Live, first, by following creative instinct (which can be done in any field of study/work).
2) Practice deep listening in order to allow local/ group authenticity.
3) Remember that trying and moving and reflecting are potentially ways of deep learning.
4) Let the process develop naturally.
5) If you're afraid of it, it's probably a good sign you need to pay attention to it. (any "it" that surfaces in the Theatre of the Oppressed process.
6) Rehearse with reckless abandon.

this video was a posting test, it was only a test (but i'm leaving it anyway)

p.s. this site is like a journal, so it's really cool with me if you're like whaaaaaaaat???

theme of the day: Theatre of the Oppressed 1

theme of the day: Theatre of the Oppressed 2

stillness
more stillness
a lot of imagination
a rearrangement in search of the ideal
a surprising amount of action from stillness
a conversation born of conversion
a potential plan for change

my drawing of Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed tree
-----confession: the bird is clip art-----

Day Four of Digital Arts and Media

theme of the day: Theatre of the Oppressed 2
below is an excerpt from a reflection paper i wrote for the theatre section of our course:

theme of the day: Theatre of the Oppressed 3

Day Five and Day Six of Digital Arts and Media

theme of day 5: excursion
we went on a blindfolded sound walk today with a partner. it was an opportunity to listen to the world around me, connect with senses other than sight, and to trust that another would guide me in safety.

Red: The color of healing. Red blankets on beaches. Red walls surrounding teahouses. Red dreams. using new tools, I find grounding within the realities of conflict in my life. I know that the past is. In this is-ness, I must find footing. Currently my footsteps fall in Saas Fee.

Yellow: The color of assuredness. I am in the right place. In my search for the next step, I found EGS. Following my intuition I applied and here I am. I feel sure of this journey. I am ready to explore expressive arts and pursue studies in a way that allows me to shape my learning.Yellow, I find answers within my group and in myself. Yellow, like brick roads that lead determined travelers on adventures.

Orange: The color of joy. My joy, in this moment, comes from the opportunity to be able to practice one of my favorite living art forms, Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, with a lovely facilitator, Aylin Vardanyan. Just to make matters happier, my classmates are just as orange inspiring as our teacher. How readily folks are bringing their spirits to each activity.

Green: The color of integration. A tree grows from root to leaves taking in the world around it. It survives the changing weather conditions. It adds to the air we breathe. It is a change factory. Similarly, Boal’s work absorbs the adapting world and challenges actors and spect-actors to produce options for ideal outcomes.
It is powerful exploring Boal’s techniques in such a unique space in the world with a global group of students and teachers.

Indigo: The color of mystery. I have entered this EGS process with curiosity and a healthy amount of reckless abandon. My chest is filled with a positively charged anticipatory awareness. My hands leave time and begin creation long before the world knows it. Products emerge: new neuronal pathways, songs about self-appreciation, and quick alternative realities. Operating out of intuition, I often sit comfortably in mystery.

Blue: The color of peacebuilding. From experience I know that at times the oceans appear still and as reflective as glass. Much of Boal’s work asks us to start from a place of stillness. He urges us to question reality, to challenge it, but to begin with an image. I find his exercises helpful because, even though there are times when I would rather not encounter conflict, I know I must find a way to learn from the conflicts I come across.

Violet: The color of energy. My body is made up of atoms that agree to hangout on earth as me for a while. Impulses travel: brain to body to brain to body. They are never separate. With my consciousness I write these words, communicate with classmates, dance, act, sing, and make. All of this takes energy. I came ready to use my energy in this way. I commit each atom to the task.