Yesterday was our first in the space.
We immediately built a den. It was minimal and quite sculptural using 3 poles a piece of string and a tarpaulin. It was very exciting building it.
We then celebrated our new space by eating buns inside the den.
Paul arrived he is also going to use the space to draw large scale portraits.
Then another man called Paul walked into the room from the next door accountant’s offices. He was confused as to who we were. We introduced ourselves. He said there were funny noises coming through as the sound travels. I felt quite intimidated by him as he seemed quite tense and cross.
He described it as a ‘squat’ and if we were artists ‘where are your paintings?’ he asked ‘do you have jobs?’
We were all quite upset after he left.
Liz and I discussed the first session in the space which will be for Edie, Martha, Arthur and Frank.
They will have free run of the space and various objects. We will observe them and let them lead us. It will be on Monday.
Palle Nielsen confessed to having 'dictated to kids' in The Model by assuming they would work with the materials in the same way he would have...
Ernest Schachtel in 'On Memory and Childhood Amnesia': 'The adult is usually not capable of experiencing what the child experiences; more often than not he is not even capable of imagining what the child experiences.' he talks about the newness of everything for the child...
Allan Kapprow in The Education of the Un-Artist Part 2 (1972) 'As direct play is denied to adults and gradually discouraged in children, the impulse to play emerges not in true games alone, but in unstated ones of power and deception: people find themselves playing less with each other than on or off each other.'
Also 'in play one is carefree in a game one is anxious about winning'
To allow children to be completely free to play as much as they like.
Creative and imaginative play is an essential part of childhood and development. Spontaneous, natural play should not be undermined or redirected by adults into learning experiences. Play belongs to the child.
Summerhill Policy Statement
