Workshop at Fairfields Primary School with Artist Saj Fareed

My First thoughts.

I was brought up in High Wycombe, which isn’t so far from Milton Keynes at all. I have very clear memories of attending a school assembly in my secondary school when there was a presentation about Milton Keynes.

Firstly, I couldn’t get my head around the concept of a new town being created, I assumed all the towns/cities had been around forever. During that school assembly I was envisioning Milton Keynes as a huge cardboard city – I have no idea where I got that idea from! This image was quite rightly dispelled on my very first trip to Milton Keynes recently. I was blown away by the expansiveness of the place.

The Project.

Quiet Down There (QDT) are currently working with the local communities in Fairfields and Whitehouse to consult with them on their thoughts/ideas for a new public art work in the area. QDT invited me as an artist educator to help them to develop a dialogue with the local schools. I was very excited to think about creative activities to entice ideas and thoughts from the school children

Great Crested Newts.

My first task was working with Fairfields Primary school. I worked with the Eco Council, Year 5 and Year 6 groups. We wanted to create gift boxes for the pupils so that they could take something home to carry on with the activities and also connect with their grown-ups. We sourced some amazing local jam from Jam MK and I have to say everyone (pupils and teachers) loved them. Have you ever heard of a jostaberry jam?

I discovered that the great crested newt is a special neighbour in Fairfields and Whitehouse. They are a protected species and Milton Keynes is one of only 3 areas in the UK that is home to a large population of these creatures. These newts look like mini dinosaurs with their long striking wavy crest along the body.

I discussed the great crested newts with the Eco Council (who were the first group I worked with) and they were very excited about their special neighbours. Some knew all about them and had even spotted them. I created stickers with the outline of these newts for them to colour in. Some of the pupils were faithful to actual colours, while others used their imagination to create their own interpretation of the great crested newts.

As the Eco Council were very conscious of their environment, the next activity focused on using household recycling materials. I wanted the pupils to think about their journey to school. In particular, the colours, shapes and textures. Using the recycling materials each pupil created a mood board of their school journey. Green shades and textures of grass/bushes/trees was a popular one. It really got the group thinking and recounting their journeys, whether by foot, cycle or car.

In the afternoon I worked with the whole of Year 5, followed by Year 6. I wondered how much the pupils knew about the history of Milton Keynes.

New Town Postcards.

I had researched other towns/cities that were of a similar age to Milton Keynes. I discovered that Brasila (capital city of Brazil) was about 61 years old compared to Milton Keynes at about 55 years old.

Fun fact – did you know that Brasila is an aeroplane shaped city as it was developed in an era when Brazil started its love of air travel?

It made me think of the map of Milton Keynes and how the roads were influenced by the North American road system (long straight roads). Some of the pupils knew all about this and the fact that there are so many roundabouts.

I wanted the pupils to imagine they were sending a postcard to a child just like them in Brasilia and share some information about their hometown.

Public Art.

Thinking about their hometown, I was curious to find out about what they understood of public art. What does public art actually mean? How does it make you feel when you see one? Had they seen any in Milton Keynes?

Did you know there are over 220 public art works in this town?

I discussed the fact that there was going to be a new public art commission in Fairfields and we wanted to explore ideas of what they would like to see. I think initially, they were a little blown away by the fact that their thoughts and opinions could really shape the creation of a new public artwork. Once that sunk in, we were inundated with suggestions. As you can imagine they really let loose with their imagination.

The pupils experimented with origami box making, to help tease ideas of how this new public artwork could look like. Being able to use their hands to create structures helped to visualise and form ideas and in some ways made it less daunting to think.

I am very intrigued to see how all these suggestions will help shape the new public art commission. I am excited to work with the other schools to continue developing the dialogue. Watch this space!

Artist – Saj Fareed

Great Crested Newt

Did you know that Milton Keynes has some very special neighbours? Before the town was built it was discovered that the European protected species – the Great Crested Newts were living there. Milton Keynes has worked hard to ensure that these creatures are protected and not disturbed in their natural habitat. These newts look like mini dinosaurs with their long striking wavy crest along the body.

Origami actvity - building blocks

The pupils experimented with origami box making, to help tease ideas of how this new public artwork could look. Being able to use their hands to create structures helped to visualise and form ideas and in some ways made it less daunting to think, they used the boxes to aseemble differnet structures and play with ideas.