This was the first input of the Expressive Arts and Culture module. I decided to choose this module as I have always had a real passion for the arts. I was fortunate enough to attend dance classes (I still attend) and musical instrument lessons from a young age. The different aspects of arts made me enjoy my creative and adventurous childhood and through this module, I hope I can spark my creativity levels and experiences the arts again more closely.
To begin with, we were all asked to bring an object that was significant to use for a specific reason. We gathered in a circle and read part of, “What Makes an Object Evocative” by Sherry Turkle. After reading this we were asked to show the rest of the group our own evocative object, something of which was significant and personal to us. We were asked to briefly explain what our object was, and what it meant to us. My evocative object was an ornament that I got during volunteering in Uganda. This object is of significance to me, however, my friends around me did not portray this object in the same way. “The meaning of even such objects shifts with time, place, and differences among individuals.” (Turkle, 2007, p.307). This explains how the object brings back the memories that I gained from Uganda that I will treasure forever.
My ornament that I bought at a market in Uganda is extremely important to me. It reminds me of my 3 week trip to Uganda. The object brings back the memories of building the classroom, the experience of a different culture and also all of the memories that I gained with both the people from Uganda and my friends who were also there volunteering. This was the longest time that I had been apart from my family, therefore, I had an emotional bond to this whilst in Uganda as it reminded me of my family as they love cycling. Whilst explaining my object, it brought back my memories of the trip and also a lot of my emotions. It was also clear that behind everyone’s evocative object, there were both happy and sad bond. During my teaching practice, I will try this sort of activity as it allows everyone to express themselves through an object.
References
Turkle, S. (2007) Evocative objects: things we think with. Mit Press.
