“Did you do anything interesting today?”

My go to answer is normally “ermmm… not much really” … however …

During our microteaching sessions we …

Learnt about 3D printing, the different types, how they work, how it’s done. The technical side and the creative side through an amazing exploration of three very different types of 3D printed objects and all demonstrated articulately and with expertise … without a 3D printer in sight.

We were immediately transported into a highly competitive, fast paced, stress inducing PR agency becoming part of a dynamic team drumming up Instagram stories for the Brazilian footwear brand Havannas … no … Haivannas? … nope … Hawianannas? NO! Ha—va—ian—as … Havaianas Flip Flops. We were thrown into the process of stretching our imaginations to create campaigns for Valentine’s Day. It was exhilarating, rewarding, but exhausting … and the lovely brightly coloured flip flops that we had all been given, reluctantly had to be returned.

Next up, writing poetry … as you do … off the cuff … no prep. We all found ourselves in the moment writing poetry during the session ‘writing through an object’. The objects were unveiled to us from under a beautiful throw. Each object unique and seemingly unconnected, except for the fact that they were displayed together on a large table vying for our attention. We each selected an object and gave it a voice. In silence and in unison our fragmentary writing became poetry … not one of us had woken up that morning with the expectation of writing poetry … but … write poetry we did. 

Rolling up our sleeves to ‘work the dough’ … up to our elbows in flour making Chinese dumplings … I know right! We sat around the table kneading dough learning the rituals of dumpling making, through mixing cultures and sharing our stories. My dumpling turned out to resemble a Jamaican Pattie, and Karen had made a Cornish Pastie …at glance some would say worlds apart. But in that moment on the 14^th floor of the tower block in the middle of Elephant and Castle, off the Old Kent Road, through laughter and chatter our cultural values could not have been closer …

For the final session we remained in the fast-changing, globalised world as we engaged with social enterprise projects. This encouraged radical thinking, creating something new, challenging, and complex, in order to create a valuable difference in the world. We learnt through peer collaboration and in the process, shape our creative futures.

Judy Willcocks discusses how her research has provided valuable insights into object-based learning and ‘that objects are a means of approaching or understanding material and visual culture.’ (Willcocks, 2024). She explains the ways in which it can provide ‘frameworks for approaching objects as a means of undertaking research.’ (Willcocks, 2024). When the student receives the brief, we always begin by asking them to go off and do some research and show evidence of analysis and insights. For some students this can be a daunting task especially if they’re working alone.

I rely heavily on slide presentations during seminars, introducing objects could be a way to encourage small group research tasks using an object identification form: for example, what is its function, age and target audience? Who designed and manufactured it? what values do you think it has? (E.g. financial, social, historical or cultural) enabling students to collaboratively research and present their findings.

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