Same Difference - The never ending art project
Introduction to Same Difference
Same Difference is an exciting International Service project devised by
award-winning artist, Ross Georgeson. The project aims to use art and
creativity workshops to boost the confidence and self esteem of children
living with HIV/AIDS, conflict, disability and extreme poverty in each of
International Service’s programme countries. The idea is to make a series of
collaborative art exhibitions of children’s work, culminating in a large
touring exhibition in the UK bringing development awareness messages to the
public.
The project began in December 2005 in Craigmillar in Edinburgh, Scotland
(home town
of Ross Georgeson) with an art workshop for local children. As part of the
workshop, the children were encouraged to produce a picture to send positive
messages to children around the world.
Each child was given a 12 cm x 12 cm card to make a picture on using
textiles from their own culture. After finishing their picture, the children
filled out the back of the card like a postcard. The cards produced in
Scotland were then taken to Burkina Faso and slotted into CD cases, joined
together and exhibited as a sculpture. This was photographed, the cards
collected, and then taken to the next country to be used as part of the next
larger sculpture. As the project moves from country to country, the
exhibition grows.
Why Same Difference?
We want to send a message to children and adults in Mali, Burkina Faso,
Brazil, Bolivia,
Palestine and the UK that art can be a powerful tool in helping vulnerable
people to:
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build confidence
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self-esteem
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offer choices to people who generally have none
In many countries, a rigid school curriculum tends
to be based on role learning, offering few chances for creativity and
opportunities to use initiative and imagination. This manifests itself in a
culture where a lack of risk taking, innovation and confidence permeates
into working life. The art workshops, for children and teachers alike,
intend to introduce creativity into the existing curriculum, give children a
means of expression and show that art can be done using the minimum of
resources.
Children will take part in activities encouraging them to express their
ideas about their
history, culture and citizenship and learn about other children’s religions,
festivals, food and natural history, in the other countries taking part in
the project.
Through Same Difference, we want to introduce:
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Experiential and questioning types of learning
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Activities to give children a repertoire of skills, especially those who’ve never done any creative work
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Confidence boosting for both teachers and children
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Therapy and coping strategy training for professionals, parents and youth workers in areas of conflict and trauma
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Training for teachers in how art and creativity can be introduced across the curriculum
How does Same Difference work?
Art workshops for the children and training for their teachers, parents,
carers and youth workers have taken place in each of the five countries
International Service is working in. Through working with our partner
organisations, staff and teachers, the project has strengthened the capacity
of our partners to deliver more creative learning in their curriculum, and
shown how it can be adapted for children with different needs; for example,
those living with disability, trauma or conflict. Training courses in art
education have also been given to organizations working with children, youth
and people with disabilities.
Each child who has taken part in Same Difference has created a unique art
postcard, which has collectively formed an evolving art exhibition in each
country at the end of the workshops.
Who are the children?
Burkina Faso is the third poorest country in the world. Here the 300
children who participated included AIDS orphans, street children and a deaf
children’s unit in a mainstream school, the only one in the country.
Mali is the fourth poorest country in the world. We worked with 350
children, including
AIDS orphans, physically disabled children, children from SOS Villages, and
with an artists’ collective who want to take their work into
nomads/pastoralists schools in the Sahara.
Bolivia is the poorest country in Latin America. We have worked with 150
children: street kids and those who live and work in Cochabamba’s
cemeteries.
We have also worked with children in the West Bank of Palestine and in Gaza,
including 100 living in cramped conditions in the Old City of Jerusalem, 200
refugee children in Gaza, 100 disabled children in East Jerusalem and a
further 50 in Gaza.
Northeast Brazil is the poorest area of the country where incomes are only
46% of the
national average. In November 2006 we shall be working with 250 children,
including children living on the streets of Recife, the fourth largest city,
and with a deaf children’s unit.
Same Difference is a unique and exciting project which will help to improve
the lives of these disadvantaged children and their parents, carers and
teachers. The children will gain in confidence, as well as learn about other
countries and cultures taking part, and be given a chance to express
themselves to the wider community through the exhibition of their work.
Same Difference achievements to date
Same Difference has so far worked with 1547 children and trained 238
teachers in Burkina Faso, Palestine, Bolivia, Mali and Brazil, many of whom
had never had the experience of making anything creative before.
Approximately 2000 young people have completed cards.
Outputs
Expected Same Difference outcomes:
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Over 2000 vulnerable children will have participated in the workshops in five countries.
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253 teachers, parents, carers and youth workers will be trained to carry out further workshops to promote confidence building and self esteem for many more vulnerable children
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a website will be developed for workshop leaders to download materials, ideas and exchange suggestions and stories with other participants.
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exhibitions will have taken place in each of the countries visited, and a touring exhibition of the work will take place in the UK, offering a chance for UK schoolchildren to take part in the workshops and learn about children living in different cultures who’ve also taken part.
Same Difference UK tour
A touring exhibition of the UK and Eire is currently taking place.
Aims of the tour
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To highlight the aspirations of children across a wide spectrum of cultures and
environments, often poverty and conflict -
To give children the opportunity to see what other children think
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Explore the similarities and differences of young people
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Raise awareness of development issues
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To help children gain greater confidence in making artwork
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Opportunity for the children to be part of an international touring exhibition
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Connect organisations
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Promote the work of International Service at home and abroad.
Format of the Same Difference exhibition
The self contained exhibition includes aspects of installation, sculpture
and 2 dimensional work. This consists of 12 free-standing
frames. Each frame measures approximately 1m x 2m and holds 72
pieces of double sided artwork. The exhibition also includes a text
and photographs of the children involved and the countries in
which they live.
The frames inter-link making the exhibition flexible to the space available at each venue. Being self-contained the exhibition can be shown while other exhibitions at the venue continue.
Children’s art workshops
Children from local schools are invited to participate in art workshops
at each venue. The workshops are normally held in an education room, lecture
theatre or sufficient temporary free space. It is expected that over the
course of the tour 1000's pieces of children’s artwork will be added
to the Same Difference
Same
Difference website.
The media
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The Same Difference project has already attracted media interest in the UK, Bolivia, Mali and Burkina Faso, featuring in newspapers on radio and TV.
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The project has the endorsement of Kirsten O'Brian and Norman Cook, aka Fat Boy Slim
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As a development worker in the West Bank and Gaza, Ross Georgeson was featured on the BBC World Service, Woman’s Hour and Front Row.
About the artist
Ross Georgeson is an arts educator who has worked with children affected by
poverty and war for International Service all over the world. He spent six
years in the Occupied Palestinian Territories working at After School Cubs
in refugee camps. During his time in the Middle East he organized the first
arts summer camps in Gaza, introduced art for therapy for occupational
therapists in Gaza and contributed creative therapy training at the
University of Bethlehem.
Ross also introduced child centred art and crafts in state kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and organized exhibitions of children’s art. From 2002-2004 he ran courses to train prospective teachers in the attitudes and skills needed for working with children in difficult circumstances. Ross has also published three teachers handbooks now used extensively throughout Palestine.
Ross was awarded the International Volunteer Human
Rights Defender Award in December 2005 before commencing work on the Same
Difference project.
Same Difference contact details
For further information regarding the Same Difference art project and
touring exhibition, please contact:
Barry Perks
Communications Coordinator
International Service
Hunter House
57 Goodramgate
York
United Kingdom
YO1 7FX
Telephone: 0044 (1) 904 647799
e-mail:
barry@internationalservice.org.uk
Download Same Difference
Information Booklet pdf