Update

I will be starting back with the students this week and planning the next stages of the project. The marble run sections of the fence are being made at the moment and once a few things have been sorted out we hope to get them up in the next month.

Image via Mapping Weird Stuff

The first workshop with the fence group will be making a map of the school site, this will allow us to explore and discover other areas of the grounds that work might be made for and that link to the ideas we have already developed for the fence. The map will have some traditional bits in it such as layout of buildings and paths but also, using ideas from psychogeography, which we will incorporate into the map. This might include sounds, textures, rubbings and other things we discover.

One idea that we will be working on is the design and making of a series of tiles to go on the top of each of the fence posts. The plan is to involve the whole school in coming up with ideas for the tile designs and this will involve a design competition and the fence group deciding which tiles to use, but all the designs will be used as part of a large collaborative artwork to be hung in the school.

First Fence Panel

The first prototype fence panel and marble run is under construction with the help of Wellington Makerspace. We have used one of the student's drawings of a butterfly and this is being cut out and the butterfly shape pieces will form the marble run elements. These pieces will have magnets attached, so they can be placed on the perforated metal grill attached to the fence, and then the students can use them to make the marble run in any form they wish. 

This prototype will allow us to test how well it all works and if all goes well, and we get some more funding, we can start on some of the other panels. 

As well as the marble run panels on the fence, students and I have developed a range of ideas for other areas of the fence such as a vertical garden, mini wind farm and weaving panels.

Otari School - Otari Bush

Students designs showing different plants, insects and birds found in Otari Bush, these designs will be used for the marble run.

Marble Run Panel

This is a mock up of what one of the panels will look like, with the student's designs. The idea is that the shapes will be cutout and used to form the marble run, the other piece will be used on the other side of the fence panel as a decorative element. The cutout pieces will have magnets attached and placed on a metal grill, students can then use the pieces to form their marble runs. The above images are just the early design ideas, once we have some input from the fabricators the designs will needed to be changed.

Marble Run

I have been working with the students developing a range of ideas for the fence running down the side of the school. We have decided to start with a marble run, but not any old marble run this one is inspired by the native plants, trees and animals at Otari Bush Reserve.
The plan is to test some ideas out and then get help to have the student's ideas manufactured, the marble run will need to be well made to stand up to the elements and the children.
I will post more images and designs as the project progresses, the image below is the start of the process of gathering images and simplifying them ready to see how they might work in the marble run.

Otari School Fence

I have been working with students at Otari School in Wellington on developing ideas for their fence. The fence stops children wandering on to the entrance road to the School, but it means that it also provides a visual barrier to their neighbours Otari Bush Reserve. So we will be look at ideas to reconnect with the bush as well as using the fence for play, learning, growing, music and a number of other ideas.

The ideas will be developed and refined over the next term and we hope to start raising funds as the project grows, to implement the student's plans.

iCart

This a Prezi presentation showing development ideas for the iCart. The iCart project is looking at providing the tools for artists and communities in Wellington to produce creative projects.

Mobile Arts Lab on Prezi