Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you? I hope you're doing really well.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher today.

I'm feeling excited about that because we're going to be looking at a lesson all about mapping, mapping identity.

It comes from the unit of work Personal Identity.

And I think that's a very interesting topic to explore.

I hope you do too.

And if you're ready, let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can use an artist approach to mapping my identity journey.

Let's find out what this lesson entails.

Well, we have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through each of them.

So we have mapping, subjective, and symbolism.

First of all, mapping.

Mapping in art is about making sense of who we are, where we come from, and how we move through the world.

Subjective is when an artist expresses personal perspectives, emotions, identity, or experiences in their work rather than striving for objective representation.

And symbolism, the use of objects, colours, or imagery in art to represent deeper meanings or ideas beyond their literal appearance.

These are our keywords, mapping, subjective, and symbolism.

Let's be on the lookout for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson.

Our lesson is called Mapping Identity.

It has two parts to it.

First of all, artists that use mapping to explore identity.

And next, creating an identity-based map.

I think these sound really interesting.

Let's get into artists that use mapping to explore identity.

Here's Aisha.

She looks all set to go.

She's setting off on a trek.

She's not 100% sure of the way.

What should she take with her to help? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

What's gonna help her to know what route to take? Thanks for sharing.

You probably said something like a map.

Yeah, Aisha could use a map or a map app on her phone.

Both aim to provide accurate geographical representation of real world locations to help navigation and planning.

If you could use a map and go off on a journey anywhere, where would you like to go? Share with the person next to you.

Thanks for sharing.

I'd quite like to go to Iceland myself.

Okay, so we can see a map on our screen there.

What might you use this map for? Pause the video.

Tell someone nearby.

Have you ever seen a map like this, and what would you use it for? So what kind of map is this? This is a London Tube map.

It uses a simplified, non-geographical layout focusing on connectivity rather than physical distances.

It helps commuters navigate and plan movement on public transport systems. I wonder if there are any other kind of maps you have come across or used.

Pause the video and tell someone else nearby another map that you have seen or used yourself.

Thanks for sharing your mapping experience.

Check for understanding.

True or false.

Maps can help people plan and navigate their journeys.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected true.

Yes, traditional maps provide information, showing roads, landmarks, and routes that help people navigate from one place to another.

Artists have long used mapping as a way to tell personal, cultural, and historical stories.

Take a close look at this work of art.

What kind of story do you think the artist is trying to convey? Something personal, cultural, historical, or a combination of? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

Artists might use mapping through literal geography, map-like work, or more abstract representations of movement, memory, and relationships.

And we can see here an artist map on post-it notes.

Traditional mapping follows precise rules, including scale, topography, and coordinates, to accurately depict real locations.

Artist mapping often distorts, abstracts, or reinvents locations to highlight subjective experiences, memories, or themes.

And here we can see an abstract map of experiences.

Take a good look at this artwork and share with someone nearby your impressions of this abstract map of experience.

Thanks for sharing.

Traditional mapping uses standardised formats often relies on data and scientific methods.

Artist mapping can incorporate collage, painting, textiles, installations, and digital media, allowing for experimental and conceptual approaches.

And here's a collage of an artist mapping a memory.

Take a good look at this image.

And share with someone nearby what are some of the key elements in this artwork that could relate to the artist's memory.

Thanks for sharing.

Traditional maps prioritise accuracy and functionality, in contrast to artist maps, which emphasise personal, subjective, conceptual, or symbolic interpretations.

And here we can see some symbolic mapping on a satsuma skin.

Anything can become the canvas when it comes to mapping.

Check for understanding.

Which of these best describes an artist's approach to mapping? Is it a, accurately depicting real locations, b, subjective, conceptual, or symbolic interpretations, or c, including scale, topography, and coordinates.

Pause the video while you decide which of these best describes an artist's approach to mapping.

Well done if you selected b, subjective, conceptual, or symbolic interpretations.

There are many examples of artists who use mapping.

A traditional map might show streets and landmarks for navigation, while Grayson Perry's work, "Map of an Englishman," represents thoughts, emotions, and cultural influences as a fictional geography.

Natalia Nakazawa's "Our Stories of Migration," 2018, is a textile-based artwork that explores themes of identity, displacement, and migration through mapping.

It is a collaborative project that reflects personal and collective histories of movement across the world.

The work challenges Eurocentric world maps by prioritising personal experiences over rigid borders.

Nakazawa invited participants to contribute their own migration narratives, incorporating them into the map to highlight the fluidity and complexity of human movement.

By embedding real people's migration stories, Nakazawa turns the map into a living, evolving document of history.

Well worth checking out.

Zarina Hashmi was an Indian-born, US-based artist known for her minimalist prints, sculptures, and drawings that explored themes of home, displacement, borders, and migration.

Her work often used maps and cartography as metaphors for memory, loss, and belonging.

Instead of creating accurate geographical maps, she often used fragmented, abstracted maps that evoke the emotional weight of migration and exile.

In works like "Letters from Home," 2004, she printed her sister's letters in Urdu onto paper infused with cartographic lines, merging personal and political histories.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to consider and record in draught form five key moments or experiences that have shaped your personal identity journey.

These could include places that are important to you.

Where have you lived, visited, or felt a strong connection to? Journeys you've taken.

Have you moved house, migrated, or travelled somewhere? Cultural or family traditions.

What customs, celebrations, or histories shape who you are? People who have influenced you.

Think about friendships, family members, or mentors who have guided or shaped your identity.

Key experiences or challenges.

What personal milestones have shaped how you see yourself and the world? And this is how you could set out these five key moments or experiences that have shaped your personal identity journey.

So you could write down something just in draught form for places, journeys, traditions, people, and experiences and challenges.

So pause the video here while you record your reflections on these five key moments or experiences that have shaped your personal identity journey.

And I'll see you when you're finished.

Thanks for having a go at this task.

There are many possible outcomes to this, but you might have discussed, "My grandmother's house in Jamaica is a big part of my identity.

I've only been there a few times, but it feels like home, and my family always talks about it." Another place that could be important to you.

"The football pitch near my house is my favourite place.

It's where I've made my best friends and where I feel most confident." In terms of journeys.

"Moving from a small town to a big city was a huge change for me.

At first, I felt lost, but now I love the energy and all the different cultures around me." Or perhaps, "When I was younger, my family moved from one country to another.

I didn't understand the language at first, but over time I found ways to connect with people." In terms of traditions.

"Every year, my family makes a huge meal for Carnival weekend.

We listen to music, dance, and cook together.

It's a tradition that connects me to my heritage." And another.

"During Eid, my family gets together and we share food with our neighbours.

It's a time that reminds me how important community is." Love hearing these.

And how about people, key people that have shaped your personal identity journey? "My older brother has always looked out for me.

He tells me stories about our family history, and that helps me feel proud of where we come from." "My aunt is an artist, and she's always encouraged me to express myself through painting.

She helped me see that art can tell stories about where we come from." In terms of challenges and experiences.

"Starting secondary school was tough because I felt like I had to fit in, but I've learned that I don't have to change who I am to make friends." "In primary school, I was nervous about speaking up because I had a different accent, but now I see that my background makes me unique." And now it's time for the next part of our lesson, creating an identity-based map.

So there are different styles of mapping.

First of all, let's look at geographical style.

An artist approach to mapping in a geographical style might be based on actual geography but with a personalised focus.

It could represent a journey they or their family have taken.

For example, moving between countries, a daily routine, a trip that changed your perspective.

Instead of just drawing a country or city map, they might think about which locations matter to them personally and how they are connected.

Check for understanding.

True or false.

An artist approach to mapping in a geographical style is most likely to be based on actual geography with accurate scale.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And can you say a little bit more about your answer, explain it further? Pause the video while you do this.

You may have said something like this.

An artist approach to mapping in a geographical style might be based on actual geography but with a personalised focus.

Here's a possible approach.

You could sketch a basic outline of a country, city, or neighbourhood that's important to your journey.

Use roads, rivers, train lines, or dotted paths to connect different places.

You can add symbols or personal landmarks, for example, a school, a house, a market, a special place.

You could incorporate dates or keywords that remind you of experiences in these locations.

Another style of mapping is abstract style.

An artist approach to mapping in an abstract style might be to create a visual representation of their personal journey using abstract shapes, colours, and textures instead of drawing real locations.

They might think about how different emotions and experiences can be mapped using lines, patterns, or layered elements.

Check for understanding.

True or false.

An artist approach to mapping in an abstract style might be to create a visual representation of their personal journey using abstract shapes.

Pause the video and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected true.

They might think about how different emotions and experiences can be mapped using lines, patterns, or layered elements.

And here's a possible approach to abstract mapping.

Use colours to represent emotions or key moments.

For example, bright colours for happy memories, dark tones for challenges.

Draw shapes, waves, spirals, or fragmented sections to reflect change, movement, or uncertainty.

Add textures or collage elements to suggest layers of identity.

For example, torn paper for memories, fabric for cultural connections.

Think about how time flows.

Does your journey feel like a straight path, a maze, a swirl, or something more fragmented? Another approach to mapping is typographic style.

An artist approach to mapping in a typographic style might be to create a word-based map that replaces traditional symbols with text, place names, and personal phrases.

Instead of drawing realistic locations, an artist might fill the map with words that define their journey.

The size, direction, and overlap of words can show how important or connected they are.

Check for understanding.

True or false.

In a typographic style of mapping, an artist might fill the map with words that define their journey.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected true.

An artist approach to mapping in a typographic style might be to create a word-based map that replaces traditional symbols with text, place names, and personal phrases.

Sounds fun to me.

And here's a possible approach.

Write the names of places, people, or emotions that have shaped your identity.

Arrange words in a layered, chaotic, or structured way depending on your experience.

Use different fonts, sizes, or styles to emphasise importance.

For example, bold words for big moments, smaller text for hidden memories.

Add handwritten elements, graffiti-like text, or overlapping letters to create movement.

And another approach to mapping is symbolic style.

An artist approach to mapping in a symbolic style might be to represent identity as a visual timeline, using symbols, drawings, or objects instead of geographical locations.

This could look like a game board, a tree with branches, a spiral, a river, or a constellation of moments.

Check for understanding.

True or false.

An artist approach to mapping in a symbolic style might be to represent identity as a visual timeline using symbols.

Pause the video and decide, is this true or false? Well done if you selected true.

An artist approach to mapping in a symbolic style might be to represent identity as a visual timeline, using symbols, drawings, or objects instead of geographical locations.

And here's a possible approach to symbolic mapping.

Think about your starting point.

Where does your identity journey begin? Use symbols to represent key life events.

For example, a suitcase for migration, a clock for time passing, a bridge for overcoming challenges.

Show how events connect.

Do they follow a smooth path, a winding road, or unexpected turns? Add visual layers by mixing drawing, collage, or even fabric elements.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to think of a symbol, colour, and word to represent each key moment or experience.

So we've already looked at these key places, journeys, traditions, people, and experiences or challenges that have shaped your personal identity journey.

And now alongside each of those, you're going to think of a symbol, colour, or word to represent each.

So pause the video here while you have a go at this task.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, it's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with thinking of a symbol, colour, and word to represent each key moment or experience? There are many possible outcomes, but you might have taken each of the key moments and experience that you recorded and developed a range of symbols, colours, and words to represent them.

Perhaps something like this.

And now I'd like you to choose one of the mapping approaches, geographical, abstract, typographic, or symbolic journey, and create an identity-based map.

You could use the symbols, colours, text, and ways of showing connections to show the key places, experiences, people, and memories that have shaped who you are.

I think this is gonna be a really fascinating task.

Strap in, it's time for this mapping journey to begin.

Pause the video here.

So how did you get on creating your own map choosing one of those mapping approaches? What did you go for? Geographical, abstract, typographic, or symbolic? How did you get on with creating your identity-based map? There are many possible outcomes, but you might have used some symbols, colours, and words you developed and arranged them with new artwork to create an identity-based map.

We can see some different examples here.

I really hope you enjoyed your task and maybe even learned a little something more about your own personal identity journey.

In our lesson Mapping Identity, we've covered the following.

Artists might use mapping through literal geography, map-like work, or more subjective or abstract representations.

Artists have long used mapping as a way to tell personal, cultural, and historical stories.

Artists might use symbolism in their work rather than use accurate depictions and scale.

Well done, everyone, for having a go at mapping your own personal identity journey.

It's been really fascinating to journey alongside you.

And I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

Stay creative.

I'll see you soon.