As part of CABE’s tenth anniversary celebration event in September 2009, the artist Michael Pinsky was commissioned to produce the artwork ‘Hope and Fear’ - an immense jigsaw of maps.
'Hope and Fear' jigsaw mapping taking place at CABE's tenth anniversary © Haarala Hamilton
Before attending the celebration event, 150 people were sent a print-out of a satellite image of their neighbourhood. They were given the task of drawing either their hopes or fears for the future of their place onto tracing paper over their satellite image.
Michael Pinsky then scanned everyone’s drawings and digitally embedded these impressions onto the satellite maps. These images of geographically disparate locations across Britain were stitched together to make one large artwork. Then divided and printed onto 150 large square jigsaw tiles, creating a 70 metre square, that could be placed together on a large floor space.
At the anniversary event all guests were given a jigsaw tile and asked to work together to re-form the artwork on the floor of a large gallery space. By looking at the connections in the drawings and in the streets between the tiles and speaking to each other to find out who had perhaps an airport, a supermarket or a park to match up to their tiles, the map gradually developed.
It was a fun experience and a great conversation prompt and tool to get people interacting. The process also provided people the chance to reflect on where they live and to think about the changes – good or bad – that could happen to their neighbourhood. You can read about the project in more detail, and watch the video footage, on CABE’s website.
© Alys Tomlinson
Take it back to the classroom: teaching activities
Geography and ICT:
Have students explore their neighbourhood when using Google Earth. Have them familiarise themselves with their area through plan view – see if they can identify familiar locations and landmarks. Ask them to draw their hopes and fears for their neighbourhood on either a print-out of a map or using creative software with paint tools and layers.
Citizenship:
Set scenarios for students to role play and debate: Imagine a local housing estate will be demolished, a swimming pool closed, an airport or shopping centre to be developed in your area. Challenge students to balance the positive and negative effects of these situations and what it could mean for everyone in their community.
Art and design:
Ask your students to explore how artists work within or using built environment and urban spaces. Start by exploring public art but stretch them to think about how artists might challenge us to think differently about where we live.
BSF:
As part of BSF ask your students to think of the neighbourhood of the school and annotate maps with their hopes and fears of this area. This will be a useful part of your BSF student engagement process.
Further teaching resources
CABE’s teaching resources can help you and your students access your local surroundings in interesting ways.
Download: ‘Where will I live? A geography teacher’s guide to exploring the key concept of place’
Download: ‘Getting out there… Art and design local safari guide’
