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Lifelines: Myth and Meaning - Learning and Teaching

This illustrated book chapter is a reflective and critical dissemination of ‘Lifelines’, a participatory installation project originating from a teaching and learning development in creative studies. Previously appearing in ‘The International Journal of the Arts in Society’, volume 3, number 1 (2008) ISSN: 1833-1866, the project it presents was conducted with over 100 jewellery design students in educational institutions in three countries. The resulting work was exhibited internationally.

Astfalck developed and led the project which was carried out in the UK in the School of Jewellery, BCU/BIAD; in Germany, at the Fachhochschule Trier in Idar-Oberstein and in Northern Ireland, at the University of Ulster in Belfast. The resulting installation was exhibited at the Atrium Gallery, BCU/BIAD, UK; Fachhochschule Trier & Sparkasse, Idar-Oberstein in Germany; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, UK and at ‘Siamo Qui, Le Pagliere di Porta Romana, Florence, Italy.

Advancing educational development in creative and practical projects, ‘Lifelines’ set out to facilitate and enhance experiential learning methodologies and, through this internationally published and distributed publication, makes a substantial contribution to an under-theorized and under-published subject area.

The installation concept drew on the ideas of Claude Levi-Strauss regarding myths as a system that codifies knowledge. It was represented spatially by a grid-system of hanging rope lines. Each line represented the life of one student. Ten designed, highly subjective narrative objects, were attached to each line, each object more-or-less aligning horizontally with neighbouring pieces. The lines were exhibited together in large-scale installation formats. The narrative exploration this provided facilitated strategies for engaging students and enabling them to locate their work with reference to the diverse social, cultural and interpretative issues that exist between a subjective artistic position, a wider cultural context and the production of contemporary decorative objects.