Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Mia.

Thank you so much for joining me in this art lesson today.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I will.

Let's get started.

In this lesson, you'll be able to use your art practice to respond to environmental challenges.

Your keywords are on the screen now, and I'd like you to repeat them after me.

"Waste." "Fragment." "Sketch/sketching." Brilliant.

Let's find out what these words mean.

Waste: anything that is unwanted or unused.

Fragment: a small part broken off or separated from something.

Sketch/sketching: a drawing that is not meant to be a finished artwork.

This lesson is all about how artists respond to plastic waste.

Now there are three lesson cycles in this lesson.

Our first lesson cycle is to do with the harmful effect of plastic waste.

Then we're going to look at artist responses to plastic waste.

And lastly, sketchbook responses to Mandy Barker's work.

Let's begin with the harmful effect of plastic waste.

Globally, 400 million metric tons of plastic is produced each year.

Much of this goes into rivers and pollutes the ocean.

Only 9% of plastic is recycled.

Hmm.

How long does it take plastic waste to decompose and break down? Let's have a look.

So we have a table here.

On the left-hand side, we've got items. So we've got plastic bag, plastic takeaway cup, plastic straw, and a plastic bottle.

Now, on the right-hand side, it shows us how much time, or the approximate time, for each item to decompose.

Now, a plastic bag takes 20 years to decompose.

A plastic takeaway cup takes 30 years.

Then a plastic straw, roughly 200 years.

A plastic bottle, roughly 450 years.

Over to you.

"The plastic you use today will take between ______ to fully decompose." Is it A 20 and 500 days? B, 20 and 500 months? Or C, 20 and 500 years? What do you think? You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

So what did you get? If you got C, you're correct.

The plastic you use today will take between 20 and 500 years to fully decompose.

Brilliant.

Let's move on.

Henderson Island is a beautiful uninhabited World Heritage Site in the Pacific Ocean.

However, it's now one of the most plastic-polluted places on Earth.

In September 2019, 72,000 volunteers from a group called Break Free From Plastic carried out a survey to find out what plastic had washed up on the beaches.

They found evidence that plastic waste had killed half a million crabs and found fragments of plastic containers that had been eaten by turtles, sharks, and fish.

Over to you.

Plastic in the oceans does not affect animals.

Is this true or is this false? And can you think why? You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

So what did you get? If you got false, well done.

Why is this? You can pause the video again.

What did you think? Well, we know that on Henderson Island, plastic waste killed half a million crabs, and volunteers found fragments of plastic containers that had been eaten by turtles, sharks, and fish.

Let's move on.

Onto the main task for this lesson cycle.

Think about, write down, or share three ways that plastic is harmful to the environment.

You can talk about this with your friend sitting next to you, or you can write down your ideas on a piece of paper.

You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to rejoin us.

So what did you think? Lucas and Izzy shared these ways that plastic is harmful to the environment.

Lucas said, "Plastic waste can take hundreds of years to decompose and break down." Izzy says, "Fragments of plastic are eaten by sea creatures such as turtles, sharks, and fish." Now we're going to move on to our second lesson cycle, and that is to do with the artist responses to plastic waste.

Let's get started.

Many artists create work in response to plastic waste and environmental issues.

Aida Sulova uses bright, bold art in public places to make people think about how we treat our environment and waste.

John Akomfrah tells powerful stories through film and images to show how people and nature are connected and affected by change.

Mary Mattingly builds floating gardens and sculptures to imagine a future where people live in harmony with nature.

And El Anatsui turns discarded bottle tops and metal scraps into huge shimmering artworks that show how rubbish can become something beautiful.

Over to you.

What do artists like Aida Sulova, John Akomfrah, Mary Mattingly, and El Anatsui want people to think about through their artwork? Is it A, how to paint using bright colors? B, how plastic waste and the environment are connected to our lives? Or C, how to make metal sculptures just for decoration? What do you think? You can pause the video here and click play when you've got your answer.

So how did you do? If you got B, you are correct.

The artists mentioned above make artwork for people to think about how plastic waste and the environment are connected to our lives.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's move on.

Artist Mandy Barker traveled with members of the Break Free From Plastic group.

She collected plastic waste from beaches and oceans and arranged the collected items and fragments into compositions.

She created a series of photographs inspired by what she saw.

Andeep says, "I can't believe her artwork is made from plastic rubbish.

It looks beautiful at first, but then you realize it's showing how the ocean is being harmed." Sofia says, "Yeah, it's like she's telling a story about pollution without using any words.

The pictures make you think about what we throw away and where it ends up." Over to you.

Why does Mandy Barker make her art? Is it A, to encourage people to eat healthily? B, to encourage people to travel less? Or C, to encourage people to act against plastic waste? What do you think? You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get? If you got C, you are correct.

Mandy Barker makes her artwork to encourage people to act against plastic waste.

Let's move on.

This is the main task for this lesson cycle.

You are going to choose an image of an artwork by an artist who makes art about caring for the environment or responding to nature.

You are going to study the image closely and discuss at least two things that you notice.

You can pause the video here.

Off you go.

Have fun and click play when you're ready to rejoin us.

So how did you get on? Well, Lucas and Izzy are discussing what they noticed in Mandy Barker's "SHELF-LIFE" images.

Lucas says, "Mandy's art shows a serious problem.

It features fragments of everyday items that we all use regularly." Izzy responds, "The collected plastic items are carefully arranged, and the background contrasts with the colorful plastic items, so they really stand out." Let's move on.

Onto the last lesson cycle for this lesson: Sketchbook responses to Mandy Barker's work.

Let's begin.

How can your sketchbook show your feelings or message about plastic waste? Hmm.

Have a think.

Artists use their sketchbooks to record thoughts, experiments, and observations.

When responding to Mandy Barker's work, you might: sketch the shapes and textures of plastic objects you see.

Write notes or questions about waste.

Write notes or questions about how waste affects nature.

Collect other photos or packaging to inspire your designs.

You can record in your sketchbook by: looking closely first, notice the big shapes before any tiny details.

Sketching lightly, using a loose grip to draw gentle lines so you can change things if you need to.

And checking as you draw.

Keep comparing your sketch to the photo to see what needs adjusting.

Over to you.

True or false? You should hold your pencil with a relaxed grip so your hand can move smoothly.

Is this true or is this false? You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to rejoin us.

It is true.

Why do you think that is? You can pause the video again.

So what did you think? Well, a light grip lets you draw gentle lines that are easier to change or build up.

If you got that, well done.

Let's move on.

Mandy Barker collected the waste she found on the beach, then sorted it into groups to photograph.

These groups were carefully chosen to make us think about the effects that human plastic use has on the ocean.

In our sketchbooks, we record not only what we see, but also what we think and feel about the artwork.

This helps us understand the story that artists want to tell.

Izzy makes a sketch of her idea.

Izzy says, "I added shading to my drawing to make it look more realistic." Hmm.

What could Izzy add to this drawing, do you think? Well, Izzy could add notes to describe her drawing and how it makes her feel.

Sometimes, artists in the moment feel a certain way about a piece.

It's very handy to write these feelings down at the time because when you flick back through your sketchbook, you can then remember how you felt at that moment when you were drawing the object.

You can also make notes of what you see as well.

So here are some examples.

The plastic is cracked here.

The edge is sharp.

The broken parts show how fragile plastic can be.

The color has faded.

This drawing makes me feel sad because the ocean has waste in it.

Fragments can be very harmful to the sea animals that live in the ocean.

What feelings or thoughts do Mandy Barker's photos make you have about plastic in the ocean? Have a think.

You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to rejoin us.

Welcome back.

So you may have said, "Mandy's photos make me feel sad because the ocean is full of waste." Or, "I think we need to stop throwing plastic in the sea to protect animals and plants." Let's move on.

Onto the last task for this lesson.

So you are going to now make a sketch of your own idea, inspired by that artist, using similar materials, colors, or messages.

You can pause the video here and click when you're ready to rejoin us.

So how did it go? You might have selected a few items to sketch, used color or pencil, added notes about your drawing.

"Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down in the ocean.

This makes me feel worried about sea creatures." Well done for completing that task.

Let's move on.

Here is a summary of our learning.

In this lesson, you learned that human beings are creating a lot of plastic waste and fragments that pollute the oceans.

Artists make us think and feel emotionally about their work.

Artists can record thoughts and feelings in sketchbooks by making sketches and writing reflections.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson, and I look forward to seeing you in the next one.

Bye!.