Parafield Gardens High School / Parafield Gardens R-7 Schools
Parafield Gardens High School and Parafield Gardens R–7 Schools are located in the Northern Metropolitan region of South Australia. With an enrolment of 760 in the high school and 400 primary students.
The student body includes students from the following cultural and linguistic groups European, South American, Asian, and African. Parafield Gardens Schools is a Category 3 Secondary and Primary R–7 school.
PROJECT COORDINATOR: David Carletti and Chris Hardord
ARTIST: Wayan Dudug
PROJECT: ‘The Garden’ – a Balinese sculpture project
Aims:
The aims of the project were primarily for students.
- To work with and be part of the whole creative process of making an artwork from idea to resolution and completion;
- To give students an understanding of the role of art in shaping belief and experience; and
- To give students an experience of working with an artist from an Asian culture.
The Artist:
Dudug is from Indonesia and has been involved as an artist in a variety of programs and cultural exchanges with both primary and secondary students. He enjoys working with teachers to share his knowledge of the Balinese culture of dance, music, language, food and art. The programs he has run have supported the students’ learning and understanding of cultures different to their own and he believes this to be very important. His work with Parafield Gardens Schools for AIS focused on Balinese sculpture.
The Process:
- Introduced students to the artist and the theme.
- Students visited the Botanical Gardens and Art Gallery of SA to draw and photograph, collect visual sources.
- From visual sources, designed panel.
- Dudug drew the design for his panel.
- Dudug demonstrated carving techniques.
- Students carved individual panels with support from Dudug and teachers.
- Combined lunch celebration with primary and high school students.
- Project completion celebration with invited guests.
- Panels permanently installed as public artworks in both schools.
Outcomes:
- Students gained an appreciation and understanding of a Balinese cultural tradition.
- Students have gained an understanding of the processes used to conceive, design and create a site specific public artwork.
- Students experienced, first hand, the joy of creating a significant artwork to be viewed and enjoyed by many people.
Highlights:
The completed project included:
- 2 large Hebel relief sculptures to be permanently installed at both sites;
- Each student completed a Hebel relief sculpture;A shared lunch with both high school and primary students; and
- A celebration ceremony to acknowledge everyone’s contribution to the project.
‘I learnt a new medium and technique… it gave us ideas about a different culture… his skills were amazing… we did better than we expected… I loved cooking noodles with him and having a big lunch with everyone… Dudug was very friendly.’ Students
‘The students were constantly interested, observed the process and made the most of their untapped ability to create.’ Artist
‘The unexpected outcomes of the project included the warmth of friendship experienced by many students towards Dudug – this was especially evident with the primary students who were genuinely eager to work with him.’ Project Coordinator
50 students participated in this project
