We Will Block You (2016)

1. Refining the Process

Looking Closely (2017)

1. Practice the Look
2. Collecting Nature
3. The Final Shots
4. Haikus on the Wall

Block Value (2017)

1. Get Real

After years of doing this same project, we finally advanced beyond scratch foam. The pro of scratch foam was that is was incredibly cheap, which is always a plus for public schools, but also it was cheap enough that students could make mistakes and start over several times. Their second print could be wildly different from their first print after they had learned the process.

With carved rubber blocks, there was much less room for error. Students could only minimally modify their block between their first and second printings. Still, I think the students enjoyed the carving process more than the scratching process.

Each photograph was paired with a haiku, written by the student. Almost every square inch of the school is already covered with murals and art installations, but there was this little spot outside one of the doors of the classroom. 

We painted the walls dark grey and installed snap frames that can be loaded from the front, so these images can be swapped out with art from students in future years. For now, they contain these incredible macro photographs along with haiku poetry.

The space above the door was painted with chalkboard paint so a project title and explanation could be added with each new project displayed in the space.

This project involves macro photography. For students who have never attempted macro photography, the hardest part is learning to look at something closely and patiently.

We didn't use complicated photography equipment; instead we acquired a class set of Easy-Macro lenses. These are basically a rubber band with a small plastic lens embedded in it. The band slips around any style of smart phone and turns the regular phone lens into a macro lens. Students were able to use their own phone or ipod from home, borrow one from the teacher or share with a friend. 

This will not be a permanent installation, but I almost wish it were. These etched fractals from nature add something spectacular to this hallway.

Across from the cafeteria sits a row of lockers, and above that row of lockers, a narrow strip of windows illuminates the hallway.

I have been eyeing that strip of windows for quite a while.

I have also been trying to convince the teachers I work with that etched glass is worth it. I finally got one to take me up on it.

These framed fractals catch the light where every single student walks every single day. Different times of day, different weather, and the changing background as you walk down the hallway make these pieces worthy of attention every time you pass.