Tag: Installazione

The installations are, according to Ecured’s definition (n.d.), those works that use as part of the composition the medium they are in (walls, floor, lights…), as well as different objects and materials. Likewise, the spectator is part of the work and it is not finished until the subject itself moves or interacts with the proposal (Lemarroy, 2004).

However, Abad and Ruiz de Velasco (2014) go further, and show that the installations are a space where an idea or a message is intentionally represented. Furthermore, they believe that not all of them are made in order to be transformed by the spectator, but that they have to allow the spectator to “enter into the game” by interpreting and questioning the work in different ways.

On the other hand, we can say that installations in the educational context enhance the development of creativity in children, their capacity for play, imagination and collaborative work (Lapolla et al., 2017). In addition, they are spaces that arise from the union of an aesthetic proposal and a pedagogical foundation (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014). The children arrive at the proposals, play, interact with the elements offered in the installation, explore, transform the space and the objects, leaving a new space when they leave (Abad and Ruiz de Velasco, 2014). These proposals have to provoke the children, invite them to interact and offer them the opportunity to experiment, transform, relate, build… while allowing them to move around, play, etc., which makes the installations a great source of learning (Toca, 2019).

Source

Art installations have their origin in contemporary art when certain artists began to problematize the limits of the work of art (Leiva, 2020).

Furthermore, as Abad and Ruiz de Velasco (2020a) state, “they are playful environments that propose to go beyond the purely manipulative, perceptive or sensory to the symbolic, narrative or relational. In these works, art and play come together to promote

culture and relationship, allowing the perception and analysis of reality from different perspectives (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2020a)

Characteristics of the installations

Based on authors such as Lemarroy (2004), some of the main characteristics of the facilities are

The installations are inspired by the ready-made technique, which consists of taking an everyday object out of its usual context and placing it in another context to give it a more aesthetic use and usage.

They are based on free play, since they are developed in an environment where no instructions or rules are given to follow, but the experimentation is what regulates and makes the proposal is developed in relation to the needs, interests and rhythms of students.

They must be exposed for a short period of time. The installations have a determined duration in order to maintain its novel and striking character, then these are dismantled and can only be remembered through documentation, however, the objects or style of the installation can be reused.

The installation allows the children to be the protagonists of their own learning, since they are created to participate and be part of it. For this reason, the installations should not be repeated nor be the same as others, since the subjects are the ones who interpret and complete them depending on what they transmit to them.

The creativity and imagination of the children should be encouraged, so it is essential to offer multipurpose elements, spaces that are ambiguous and surprising, etc. That is to say, that they allow different types of interpretations.

In the art of installation, any medium or everyday object can be used for children, offering diverse possibilities of action in addition to those allowed by

its predetermined use. In addition, these must be sufficient in order to avoid possible conflict situations among children.

Characteristics of the materials

Authors such as Leiva (2020) mention the importance of thinking and reflecting on the types of materials and objects we can offer in an installation:

• Unstructured objects, that is, objects that do not have a single possibility of action, but offer a great variety, such as bottles, cardboard, plastic, paper, etc.
• Objects that children can find in their daily lives, such as glasses, boxes, balls, fabrics, etc.
• Different materials from a natural context, such as leaves, sand, sticks, etc.

On the other hand, Leiva (2020) refers to the fact that the choice and combination of materials is fundamental to give an aesthetic sense to the proposal, so it has to be taken into account:

• The space where we present the installation must be empty of other stimuli that can distract the students from the moment of play, with the aim that they discover, exchange and experience the selected objects.
• We must take care of the natural or artificial lighting and the sound of the environment, since from these we will manage to create an atmosphere that encourages more exploration and curiosity.
• The objects must allow a link between them to complement each other, so that they can be introduced on each other and for their performance, so they must show a diversity in their shape, color, texture, structure, size, etc.
• We must pay attention to the disposition (creating geometric forms, series, etc.) and the location (on the floor, hanging, on the ceiling, etc.) of the objects in the space.
• The amount of materials offered must be in accordance with the number of children who experience the proposal, since there must be enough material for them to manipulate them individually or in groups.

Time or phases of the proposal

The authors Abad and Ruiz de Velasco (2020) mention different pedagogical moments in the development of the facilities:

Design

In this phase the teacher creates, designs and carries out a previous organization of the installation, for which he or she has to analyze the recipients and their context, the theme, the times, spaces and materials to be proposed.

To design an installation, it is necessary to take into account the diverse characteristics and experiences of both students and teachers, since these will influence the development of the installation. On the other hand, the theme on which the proposal is designed is essential, since from this one or other materials that invite experimentation and exploration will be selected.

As for the spaces in the artistic installation, it is fundamental to decide the location of the proposal, since depending on this, movement, individual and group play, duration, etc. will be favored or not. In addition, the space must be delimited, so it is necessary to attend to the organization of the materials. The time of experimentation is another element that influences the different possibilities of play that can be offered, since it is the children who best define the end of their utility. Finally, the materials of the proposal must present different characteristics, such as choosing them depending on the characteristics, offering different possibilities of action, that the quantity is sufficient, the organization of these, etc.

Presentation to the students

Before the start up it is necessary that the teacher presents the students with the artistic installation that is offered to them, leaving them time to observe and analyze it, for

which the teacher can initiate a dialogue from questions in order to generate curiosity in the children. In addition, although the installations are a proposal of free play, they have some basic rules of respect towards the peers during the development of the installations that will have to be exposed to the children.

A time for experimentation

In this phase the children are invited to interact with the materials. At first, the infants make a general observation of all the objects they have and make an approach to them. As time passes, they begin to manipulate, experiment and play with the elements and their peers in space.

During this time, the role of the teacher should be that of an observer, being able to intervene if necessary or if conflicts arise.

Documentation of the proposal

Before concluding the installation, the children are proposed to collect and reorganize the material that has been used, with the help of the teacher, thus promoting their responsibility and autonomy. Finally, the last phase of an artistic proposal is the documentation of it, with the aim of, as Hoyuelos (2007) mentions, leaving an aesthetic record. This can be done graphically, for example with a drawing, or orally, through conservation. This should be done just when it is finished, with the aim of reproducing what they have experienced and felt during their development.

References 

Abad, J. y Ruiz de Velasco, A. (2014). La propuesta de las instalaciones. Recuperado de http://www.edu.xunta.es/centros/cfrcoruna/aulavirtual/file.php/249/BLOQ UE_1/LA_P  ROPUESTA_DE_LAS_INSTALACIONES_Javier_Abad_2014.pdf

Abad, J. y Ruiz de Velasco, (2020). Las instalaciones de juego: metáforas de la vida de relación. Recuperado de: https://consejoescolar.educacion.navarra.es/web1/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2319.pdf

Abad, J. y Ruiz de Velasco, (2020). La propuesta de las «instalaciones de juego»: metáforas del encuentro y la vida de relación. Recuperado de: https://arqa.com/actualidad/colaboraciones/la-propuesta-de-las-instalaciones-de-juego-metaforas-del-encuentro-y-la-vida-de-relacion.html

Alsina, Á., & León, N. (2016). Acciones matemáticas de 0 a 3 años a partir de instalaciones artísticas. Educatio Siglo XXI, 34(2 Julio), 33-62. ECURED (s.f.) Instalación artística. Recuperado de http://www.ecured.cu/index.php/Instalaci%C3%B3n_art%C3%ADstica

Hoyuelos, A. (2007) Documentación como narración y argumentación. Aula de Infantil, 39, pp. 5-9.

Lapolla, P., Mucci, M. y Arce M.A. (2017) Experiencias artísticas con instalaciones. Trabajos interdisciplinariosde simbolización y juego en la escuela infantil. Ediciones Novedades Educativas, Buenos Aires.

Lemarroy González, M.S. (2004) Lü: El cuerpo efímero. Tesis de maestría, Universidad de las Américas Puebla,México.

Leiva, C. (2020) Instalaciones de juego, simbolizar a través del arte. Cultura de infancia.  https://culturadeinfancia.com/instalaciones/

Toca, S. (2019) Jugar, experimentar y relacionarnos: las instalaciones artísticas en un aula de 4 años (trabajo finde grado). Universidad de Cantabria, España.

Authorship

María Argumosa Roíz y Paola Escolano Cossio, 2020.

The chosen topic has been the product of the desire to want to discuss, debate and reflect on the importance of spaces in the educational center. Due to the need to want to go beyond the classroom, which seems to always be the protagonist, and get closer and give visibility to the many spaces and facilities that are also part of the life ofthe center and where very interesting stories are also told.

The concept “facilities” has to do with the complexes of buildings and infrastructures of a certain place. In this case, from an educational center with students from 0 to 3 years old. With this concept, classrooms, corridors, recreation areas … are taken into account. However, with this work, we have wanted to go further. We have wanted to combine formal and legislative aspects that must be kept in mind when building an educational institution (measures, materials, architectural elements …) But we have also seen it necessary to reflect how each space is and how it influences children and their relationship with spaces, with their peers and with teachers.

We also wanted to convey the need for certain spaces to exist in the center what, a priori, They may not seem very important, but they really add a lot of richness to the school experience for little ones.

We wanted to base this work on a series of ideas that summarize our work and our intention with it:

• How and in what way does the need to build schools comes up and how the works and pedagogies of certain authors have influenced it.
• Identify the most common facilities in educational centers, as well as their functionality, their use and the reason for their need.
• Identify the less commonly facilities present in schools and investigate why does it happen and why they should or should not have more presence in the centers.
• The meaning that the different spaces of the center have not only for the children, but for all the staff and those who participate in its life.
• Regulations and guidelines to comply with for the projection of a center.
• The numerous conceptualizations that appears when projecting spaces.

Authorship

Isis García y Juliana Alufo, 2020.

The facilities consist of educational approaches, where aesthetics and contemporary art are mixed with a foundation and pedagogical bases, managing to favor pre-symbolic and symbolic playing in a relational context (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014). Its main promoters were Abad and Ruiz de Velasco, who wanted to create spaces where children couldlearn in an active way, being the very own protagonists of the action and exploring their own interests and needs (Abad and Ruiz de Velasco, 2014; Moya, 2017).

They use the environment itself and its characteristics (the walls, the ceiling, the floor), alongside a series of materials that build an environment of beauty, which invites the spectator to take part in it (Rubio and Riaño, 2019). Therefore in the facilities, the educator is in charge of designing and organizing the playground and its intention, while the children have a leading and participatory role so that they are able to deconstruct, transform and rebuild the space, interacting with others (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014; Rubio y Riaño, 2019).

The spots and materials shape two essential aspects of the facilities.

On the one hand, the spaces have to be organized in an aesthetic way, so that they manage to please the children and invite them to interact, and to carry out actions, wander and explore a quality space, which allow the children to generate a “powerful mental image” (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014). In the facilities, objects are organized within the space by geometric forms or mandalas, so that children are guided from that initial order in which they feel safe, encouraging them to explore and interpret both, the space and the materials, in a physical and psychic sense (Abad and Ruiz de Velasco, 2014).

On the other hand, the materials used in the facilities have to be diverse, from daily use and accessible, allowing the children to carry out a cognitive process in which already known materials acquire a new association, a new use, a newinterpretation (Moya, 2017). In the facilities, triads of objects are used, which encourage students to perform divergent actions so that they are not limited to the established functions of those objects. We could say that these triads have a storyline or dialogue, which the children achieve through playing. These materials also allow students to create their own game based on their characteristics and their rhythms, promoting diversity at the same time (Moya, 2017). In addition, the materials have to be complementary to each other, emphasizing the differences between them so that they become evident (big and small, round and square, soft and rough…).

In the implementation of the facilities, there is always a common path to be followed.

It begins by selecting the idea to be represented and designing it. The educators analyze the context and its conditions, as well as the characteristics of the children so that the theme of the installation and the organization of materials and spaces is customized for them in an aesthetic way (Toca, 2019). The location is decided, marking off where the installation begins and where it ends; the types of materials and their quantity are selected, ensuring that they give the children diverse possibilities of action and interaction with their peers (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014).

Once this is done, the children are introduced to the installation, allowing them to observe and make any questions or comments that they may have about it. The educators will try to make them meditate through questions, and they will also take advantage of the opportunity and mention the rules or agreements of coexistence during the development of the installation (Toca, 2019). Before students can enter the facility, they are invited to represent what they see or what the installation suggests to them in a graphic or verbal way.

After this, they are allowed to experiment and interact freely with the materials and spaces designed for them. The children deconstruct and build the space, experiment, handle the objects, interact with their peers, etc.

Afterwards, the children must always perform a presentation, narrated in a graphic way (drawings) or orally, in which they show what they have learned or what they have experienced.Finally, the proposal is evaluated, as well as the possibilities of action, playing and relationship that the installation has generated (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014; Moya, 2017).

References 

Rubio Gorrochategui, L., & Riaño Galán, M. E. (2019). Arte y Educación: Instalaciones en el aula de Infantil.

Moya Díez, M. (2017). La instalación artística en educación infantil.

Ruiz de Velasco, A., y Abad, J. (2014). Contextos de simbolización y juego. La propuesta de las instalaciones. Revista Aula de Infantil, 77, 11-28.

Toca Martínez, S. (2019). Jugar, experimentar y relacionarnos: las instalaciones artísticas en un aula de 4 años.

Authorship

Lidia Abascal Abascal y Andrea Álvarez Peña, 2020.