12.11.2021

The Earth: Y5 learns about the use of the earth in different cultures

By Bruna Cronfli

Fifth graders (Y5) developed a project linked to the Inquiry Unit “The Earth” in the art classes. Planned to be exhibited during the Steam Fair, the project started from the idea of ​​how the earth is used to make art in different cultures. As Y5 students kept having face-to-face classes, the teachers gave the groups the opportunity to work with three-dimensional clay constructions, allowing them to experiment with the material, which was previously impossible because of the online format.

How has the earth been used as material for artistic production in different cultures? How did ancient peoples appropriate natural resources to build houses and to make kitchen utensils? How is the earth still applied in construction, arts, and utilities today? These were some of the questions raised to encourage the students’ research. Initially, indigenous utilitarian ceramics were taken to school to be shown as objects made to store seeds, food, and even  funerary urns and ceremonial objects.

For the first clay modeling, students were asked to produce small pots, which could be a small pan, a cup, or a glass. Pinch pot (thumb pot) was the technique applied. A common practice when working with clay, it consists of making a ball of clay and piercing it in the middle with the thumb, starting from the hole and opening up little by little, according to the modeling. Regarding the idea of ​​ utility, the students studied the work of “Paneleiras de Goiabeiras”, the first cultural asset registered as intangible heritage by IPHAN .

Another repertoire was also introduced to the students to enrich their investigation, the Karajá dolls, a significant cultural reference for the Karajá people and, more than just playful objects, the ritxòkò , considered to be cultural representations.

After the completion of the pinch pots and close contact with the material, Y5 began to plan for the construction of a small clay house. They researched some bio construction techniques, such as the wattle and daub houses, home to many Brazilian families hitherto.

The students were divided into groups to construct the little house. They studied and created drafts of possible models they would like to use. They learned the snake technique and how to “sew” the clay (necessary so as not to crack when drying, it consists of scratching the clay with a fork and gluing it with a slip – a mixture of clay and water). The groups kept on sewing snakes on top of snakes and erecting the walls of their houses, having the windows and doors cut off.

Students were encouraged to explore their creativity and interests through different types of home models to be built. In a free environment, they built the little house “Among Us”, a pineapple house (just like Sponge Bob’s house), a lighthouse, a mushroom house, among others. For the final touch, in addition to building the ceilings, the groups also chose to paint them with gouache paint.

To finalize the project, fifth graders were invited to take part in an online conversation with the ceramic artist Carol Lamaita, a special opportunity to visit an artist’s atelier. In each of her atelier rooms, the artist invited students to learn about important stages of the creation process, such as introducing the clay modelled pieces into a large oven, the painting process, and the lathe room (with a small live demonstration). She even talked about how she recycles her clay works, contextualizing sustainability as a fundamental process of her work).