Lesson video

Hello.

My name is Mrs. Tipping, and I'm really looking forward to learning with you today all about Collaboration and Generating Ideas.

We're going to do lots of thinking, talking and exploring together.

So shall we get started? Let's go.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to appreciate how collaboration allows multiple artists to contribute unique ideas with unexpected outcomes.

Before we start, I would like to introduce you to some keywords we'll be using during this lesson.

Collaborate means to work together with one or more people to achieve a shared goal.

An idea is a thought, suggestion or plan about what to do, create or think.

And contribute means to give, share or add something such as time, effort, ideas, skills, or resources for the benefits of others, or to help achieve a common goal.

So pause the video here, make a note of these keywords, and when you're ready to continue, press Play.

These are the learning cycles that'll be working through together in today's lesson.

Identifying ways artists collaborate and share ideas, and how collaboration influences artists.

In this first learning cycle, let's have a look at identifying ways artists collaborate and share ideas.

What does collaboration mean in art? Well, in art, collaboration means two or more people working together to create something.

Each person contributes their skills, sharing ideas, perspectives and creativity to shape the final work.

Collaboration can take many forms. Co-creation is when artists physically make the work together, for example, painting, sculpting or filming.

This paper weaving is a collaborative piece.

Each person decorated their own strip, which were then woven together to form the final artwork.

An idea exchange is when artists swap ideas, feedback or concepts, and contribute their own perspectives or suggestions even if they work separately.

Community input.

Artists involve groups of people in the planning or making, so everyone can contribute their skills, stories, or perspectives, and the final work reflects many voices.

Cross-disciplinary work.

Artists team up with people from other fields, for example, musicians, scientists, and writers, to expand ideas and possibilities.

The key point is that in collaboration, the outcome is shaped by multiple viewpoints.

No one person has complete control.

It's a shared process, and the work often becomes something none of the collaborators could have made alone.

Have you ever worked collaboratively? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner and press Play when you're ready to continue.

Well, Lucas here says, "I really enjoyed working on the collaborative weaving.

When we expressed our emotions through colour and shapes, then wove them together to create one piece." Sofia says, "Making the collaborative recipe book was fun as working together made the final outcome much more creative and professional." Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

In a collaborative artwork, who usually has control over the final outcome? The most talented artist in the group, everyone involved shares control, or no one decides anything? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think about the answer to this question, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

If you said that everyone involved shares control, you're right.

Well done.

How do artists decide to collaborate? Well, artists don't just randomly work together.

There are often shared interests, ideas or practical reasons that make collaboration worthwhile.

Artists may discover they are exploring similar ideas.

They might see value in combining perspectives, with each person contributing their insights or expertise to deepen the concept, for example, exploring environmental issues.

Artists may share complimentary skills or resources.

One artist might have technical skills, for example, animation or ceramics, while the other has a different set, for example, typography or painting.

They collaborate to use the best of both sets of skills.

Collaborating can bring two separate audiences together.

This is especially appealing when artists want to reach new communities or cross-cultural boundaries, sharing and exchanging ideas that connect people in meaningful ways.

External factors like residencies, commissions, festivals or community projects may bring artists together.

Artists may be paired by an organiser or invited to collaborate for a specific event.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Collaboration only works if everyone has the same style and opinion.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think and press Play when you are ready to continue.

If you said that's false, you are right, well done.

But can you explain why that statement is false? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner explaining why this statement is false, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

If you said something like, the strength of collaboration comes from people contributing different ideas, skills and perspectives which can spark creativity and lead to richer, more original outcomes, then you are right.

Well done.

Many artists collaborate with other artists or communities.

Larry Achiampong and David Blandy, who continue to collaborate on an ongoing dialogue about culture, identity and technology through shared interests in gaming, music and film.

Caroline Cardus, who creates installations and public art pieces that amplify disabled voices.

"The Way Ahead", created in collaboration with disabled communities, uses road signs as a visual language for accessibility activism.

Tiffany Chung, who collaborates directly with displaced communities to document personal histories.

"Mapping Displacement" is an ongoing project documenting forced migration and refugee routes.

Have you ever been involved in a collaborative community artwork? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your peers and press Play when you are ready to continue.

Well, Laura says, "When I was at primary school, an artist came in and delivered workshops to each year group, and the end result was a collaborative artwork for our local hospital." And Andeep says, "All of the local scout groups collaborated on a poppy installation for Remembrance Day.

They were made from clay." Artists collaborate their ideas by sharing them together.

So the final work reflects multiple viewpoints instead of just one.

Including conversation and mind mapping, artists discuss ideas, current events, personal experiences and creative interests.

This helps to identify themes they both want to explore.

Building through process.

They might try things, respond to each other's contributions and adjust.

And decision making together.

They discuss and agree on the direction, presentation and final form of the work.

Alex, Aisha and Jun are using a mind map to generate and share ideas.

Alex says, "I made a mind map of areas connected to the community.

I'm in Aisha and Jun's group, and we decided that we choose to collaborate on a festival project." Can you see all of the different ideas they've had and how they've focused in on festivals? This brings us to our first learning task.

I'd like you to choose a specific aspect of the community that you think could be improved or celebrated through a collaborative artwork.

Ideas could be written in diagram form, made digitally or recorded through voice notes.

Take five minutes to quietly write down as many things as you can think of that are found within or connected to communities, then split into groups of three or four and highlight any common threads, and then decide upon an aspect of the community that everyone agrees on.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at this learning task, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

How did you get on? Well, let's have a look at this example here.

There are many possible outcomes, including community here, focusing on festivals, Gala Day, religious, music, carnivals.

Aisha says, "I recorded my ideas digitally.

Our group decided that festivals was the area our community.

Our group decided that festivals was the area of our community that we would make a collaborative artwork for as we had all put that in on our list." You can see some other ideas there surrounding food, buildings, people and sport.

And Jun says, "I chose to record my thoughts.

When Aisha, Alex and I discussed our ideas, festivals was something we agreed would make a great collaborative project." So well done for choosing a specific aspect of the community that you think would be improved or celebrated through a collaborative artwork.

This now brings us to the second part of our lesson.

We're going to look at how collaboration influences artists.

Key ways that collaboration influences artists is through the expansion of ideas.

Artists build on each other's ideas, leading to unexpected directions.

Also, the combination of different skills.

Each artist brings unique talents, including drawing, painting, sculpture or digital techniques that enrich the work.

Many artists combine different styles and techniques in their collaborations, including Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, known for their installations combining sculpture, architecture and performance.

"Powerless Structures" is a sculpture featuring a boy on a rocking horse in a plaza, provoking thoughts on innocence and power in urban spaces.

The Singh Twins who create all their works jointly, combining their ideas, skills and perspectives to produce pieces rich in cultural fusion and storytelling.

If you could collaborate with a professional artist, what kind of artistic style would you want them to have? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your peers and press Play when you're ready to continue.

Well, Sam says, "I'd love to collaborate with an animation artist.

I'd be interested to see how my drawings could be brought to life." And Jacob says, "I'd find it interesting to collaborate with an artist who works with recycled materials so we could make an eco-themed installation." Key ways that collaboration influences artists include challenging comfort zones.

Collaborating encourages artists to try new techniques or styles they might not use alone.

Also, it creates shared meaning.

Multiple voices and experiences make the artwork more meaningful and diverse.

Collaboration sparks creativity and innovation.

It encourages risk taking and experimentation because artists feel supported by the group.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Why is risk taking important when artists collaborate? Risk taking guarantees the artwork will be perfect, it helps artists try new ideas and techniques they might not attempt alone, because it makes sure everyone agrees on every detail? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think about the answer to this question and press Play when you're ready to continue.

If you said it helps artists try new ideas and techniques they might not attempt alone, you are right.

Well done.

That's why risk taking is important when artists collaborate.

The mix of influences and the ideas each artist contributes can lead to groundbreaking approaches or new art forms that wouldn't emerge from working alone.

Collaboration builds communication and teamwork skills.

It requires artists to listen to other ideas and express their own clearly.

Giving and receiving constructive feedback helps improve the work.

Working collaboratively develops patience and respect for diverse perspectives and ways of working.

When artists collaborates, it often connects them to new perspectives, experiences and ways of working, and working alongside others exposes them to different traditions, cultures, materials, and creative processes.

Can you think of examples of how collaboration could connect artists to new perspectives and cultures? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner and press Play when you are ready to continue.

Well, Jun says, "It could be that an artist partners with an indigenous group to create sculptures from natural materials, learning about their environmental knowledge and traditions." And Izzy says, "An artist could work with a community's older generation to collect stories and turn them into illustrated panels.

Everyone involved could contribute to reflecting the area's heritage." Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Collaborating with different cultures can make your work more meaningful to wider audiences.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think about the answer to this question, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

If you said that's true, you are right.

Well done.

But why is that statement true? How can we explain it? Pause the video here and explain to your partner why this statement is true and press Play when you are ready to continue.

If you said something like, when an artwork reflects multiple cultural influences, it can speak to more audiences, spark curiosity and create connections that go beyond one viewpoint, then you are right.

Well done.

For the next part of the lesson, you'll need some A4 paper, some pencil crayons, some marker pens, some oil pastels and watercolour paints.

There are many ways to make a collaborative artwork, including, artist number one begins by making marks onto paper using marker pens.

Then the artwork is passed to the artist number two, who chose to add marks and patterns with oil pastels.

Then artist number three added sections of watercolour.

Artist number four chose to add a word and patterns using marker pens.

Artist number five used oil pastels to add texture, and artist number six finished the collaboration with fineliner, pen detail and watercolour.

So can you see how this collaborative artwork has come to be by all the different artists using their chosen medium? So this brings us to our final learning task.

I'd like you to make a collaborative artwork in a small group.

Work in groups of no more than six.

Using whichever material you choose, begin your own artwork with a quick drawing, doodle or painted mark that shows your own style and intention.

After three to five minutes, pass your work to the next person in the group.

Each person in the group will be working on someone else's piece as the work is passed around.

Add your own ideas to build on what's already there, making choices that will impact the final outcome.

And the task will end when everyone in the group has collaborated on each other's artwork.

There should be six new artworks if there are six in the group.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at making a collaborative artwork in a small group, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

How did you find that? Well, hopefully you were able to have a go.

Maybe artist number one began with oil pastels.

Artist number two added a watercolour wash.

And maybe artist number three added more oil pastels.

Can you see how this artwork is developing? Then artist number four added some words.

Artist number five chose to cut up the design.

And artist number six constructed a sculpture.

Here, this group of students said, "We are happy with how our collaborations turned out, and here is one that we all contributed to.

Jun made the first oil pastel lines, which eventually evolved into a sculpture, as Izzy had the idea of cutting the design into shapes.

Alex constructed the sculpture." So hopefully you enjoyed making your collaborative artwork in whichever form it ended up in.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise what we've learned about collaboration and generating ideas.

Artists often collaborate to combine their skills and experiences, creating work that is richer and more inventive than if they worked alone.

In the process, each artist contributes their own unique ideas, which can spark unexpected directions and inspire new ways of thinking.

When artists contribute their own styles, materials and perspectives to a shared project, the combination can lead to surprising and unpredictable outcomes.

Thank you for joining me in this lesson today.

I hope to see you in the next one.

See you next time.