What does culture mean and where can we see it? Working with A-Space and Othello De’Souza-Hartley, young people at Shacklewell school mapped culture in their local area.
The group began by creating a mind map of the word ‘culture’, thinking through different personal meanings as well as other ideas associated with the word ‘culture’. They visited local galleries and cafes to think about where and what might represent culture in their surrounding environment. After investigating the area outside their school, the group then explored the cultural context at home considering the communities in which they participate and the activities and foods that they share. Each participant produced a map of their day reflecting their own daily cultural experience.
Collaborating with artist Othello De’Souza-Hartley, the group produced a ‘culture map’. The young people photographed places and objects around their school that they felt represented culture, marking them on the map with their personal connections written on index cards. The final map represents a personal and collective ‘culture map’ of year 5 and year 6 at Shacklewell school. The project was created in collaboration with A Space educator Caroline Lee.
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- Artist Othello De’Souza Hartley with participants at Shacklewell school © Caroline Lee 2009
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- The work of a Shacklewell participant © Caroline Lee 2009
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- A young person from Shacklewell maps their day in a concertina book © Caroline Lee 2009
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- A young person from Shacklewell holds a concertina book. © Caroline Lee 2009
