We are not afraid of the future Teachers Notes • Information and practical ideas www.bata-ville.com We are not afraid of the future Notes compiled by Gilly Waller With thanks to the Bata Resource & Reminiscence Centre and Fiona Young Contents Aims of the pack . 2 Introduction to Bataville. 3 Background information . 4 Key Themes in Bataville . 5 Themes in Focus . 7 a) Shoe sculptures – 3D . 7 b) Bunting making – textiles. 8 Links to the curriculum . 10 Animation projects . 13 a) Flick Books . 16 b) Zoetropes . 17 Useful Links . 23 Photocopiable resources . .18-22 Storyboard sheet • flick book example • Bata shoes • KWL Grid • Travel images www.bata-ville.com We are not afraid of the future Aim of the pack The aim of this pack is to provide an introduction for both you and your pupils to the exciting, stimulating and unique artists’ project – Bata-ville. It includes information on the project and suggested themes and issues to consider, with examples of possible classroom and homework based activities. The notes have been developed to explore areas within the Bata-ville film and project that complement and work alongside the guidelines of the National Curriculum. Through watching the documentary pupils will have the opportunity to: • Gain knowledge and understanding of art and design as defined in the National Curriculum AT2 (Knowledge and Understanding) • Collect reference materials and information that can act as a stimulus for their own practical work as defined in the National Curriculum AT1 (Investigating and Making) This pack suggests ways in which pupils can: • Record and analyse first hand experience of a video based artwork. • Discuss, question and select information from this and other suggested artworks. • Explore cross-curricular themes within the work. • Focus on a particular theme that relates to work already studied or planned. • Use themes discovered in the work and link them to other artists, designers and craftspeople. • Extend their experience of a range of materials and processes (see Themes in Focus and Animation projects) • Evaluate and develop their work through group and individual activities. • Schools involved with the animation workshops with Fiona Young will have the opportunity to experience first hand the working methods of a contemporary animator. www.bata-ville.com We are not afraid of the future Introduction to Bata-ville Bacckground information on the project Artists Nina Pope and Karen Guthrie went to art school together and have since worked on joint projects since 1995. These have included projects with lots of different groups of people from computer games players to model railway enthusiasts. They are best known for their work using new technology like TV Swansong (2002) and /broadcast/ (29 pilgrims, 29 tales) (2000). Further informtion can be found on their website www.somewhere.org.uk In 2003 they were commissioned to create an artwork for East Tilbury in Essex. A community developed in the 1930’s which created housing, employment and social activities for the employers of the Bata Shoe Company. The resulting art piece formed two parts. Stage I (December2003) The artist Nina Pope opened a ‘single destination’ Bata-ville Travel Agency in the former factory buildings of Bata in East Tilbury. This building was based on a ‘model’ created by the Bata shoe company in Zlín in the Czech Republic in the 1930s. The Bata-ville Travel Agency offered poten- tial travellers who have lived or worked for the company the chance to find out more about the sister site in Zlín which mirrored their own town and yet few had ever visited. They could also apply for a place on the Bata-ville coachtrip (see form with pack.) Stage II (12th - 19th September 2004) 45 passengers from the the UK were driven across Europe to Zlín. The journey, its passengers, dialogues and adventures formed the focus for a documentary film. On the sides of the bus were the provocative words "We are not afraid of the future". Words spoken by the shoe entrepreneur Tomas Bata (d.1932), whose far-reaching social ideals inspired Pope and Guthrie to create this pilgrimage to Bata's origins in Zlín, in the Czech Republic. The coach party's destinations included a Bata shoe factory, the former company headquarters (a building site), a cemetery, an aeroplane factory and an animation studio. All these destinations shared links to the Bata company and its charismatic founder. The passengers were former Bata employees from the small towns of East Tilbury (Thurrock) and Maryport (Cumbria). They were joined by a number of people from other walks of life, all who shared their companions' fascination with the Bata story. www.bata-ville.com We are not afraid of the future Background Information • A Bata-ville brainstorm By brainstorming questions, thoughts and feelings about the documentary pupils can begin to consider issues and ideas raised by the film, helping them to develop ideas for future work. This activity can be undertaken individually during the viewing of the documentary or afterwards as a whole class or as a small group activity. As with any exploration of an artwork it is important that students understand the importance of their own interpretations of the works as well as those of the artist. They should therefore be encouraged to develop their own opinions of the work and to make reasoned judgements. • A KWL grid can be given to pupils in groups which they can fill in at the start of the project and added to through group / their own research. Sentence starters / gap fills can be added to differentiate the task (see sample.) • Ask pupils to write / speak about their notes for one or two minutes without stopping. This can begin to free up anxieties about written and spoken dialogue. The notes can be used for future evaluations and reviews of the documentary. Who was Tomas Bata? Tomas Bata founded the Bata Shoe Organisation in 1894. The traditions of shoemaking had been in the family for eight generations and spanned 300 years. He built a shoe factory in Zlín in former Czechoslovakia. As the factory grew he built homes for it’s employees, schools, cinemas, theatres, hotels and shops. What is Bata-ville? The artists Nina Pope and Karen Guthrie took a film crew and 2 project organisers, 14 travellers from Maryport and 16 travellers from East Tilbury - including ex employees, residents and family, 12 ‘others’ - including filmmakers, artists, writers, czech speakers and a teacher. Why was the project undertaken? As a response to an invitation to make a ‘public artwork’ for East Tilbury. Where did it take place? Maryport - East Tilbury - Best (Netherlands) - Zlín When did it take place? 12 - 19 September 2004 which coincided with Tomas Bata’s son’s 90th birthday. www.bata-ville.com We are not afraid of the future Key Themes in Bata-ville Many themes which present themselves in the documentary can be used to support ongoing projects in the classroom or can be used as the starting points to new artworks. Links to the Curriculum section and Themes in Focus explore and suggest ways of developing some of the ideas below. The suggestions may act as a springboard for other areas of research, or overlap with more generic areas of study. Students could work individually or as small groups researching one area and then reporting back to others. These examples will potentially encourage pupils to look for their own themes within the work. Journeys / travel / memory / immigration Many workers from Bata in Czechoslovakia known as ‘Batamen’ travelled to East Tilbury to work at the factory, with many permanently settling in the town. Consider: How would you feel arriving in a new country? (the language barriers and cultural differences) What experiences / knowledge of immigration do you have? Pilgrimage A few of the passengers were returning to Zlín after a long period of time, to meet family and to renew acquaintances, most had only heard of Zlín as the place where their own communities had originated. Consider: What is a pilgrimage? What pilgrimages have you heard of? (Religious - Hajj) Do you know anyone who has been on a pilgrimage? Holiday For many the trip was seen as a holiday, time away from work and home commitments. Consider: What is meant by the term ‘holiday’? Memory / nostalgia For all the travellers the long journey presented a time for thought and contemplation. Memories of past careers and events presented themselves through the events that occurred. For many the trip to Tomas Bata’s grave evoked emotional responses. For others simply the act of spending time alone in an anonymous hotel room brought back memories of past travels. Consider: What memories do you have of a trip? Do you often delete negative memories of a trip and focus only on the positive? www.bata-ville.com We are not afraid of the future The future Tomas Bata had a clear vision of the future for his company, employees, and mankind. His words ‘we are not afraid of the future’ forming the focus for the trip. Consider: What is the future? How far into the future do you think ? How do different generations in your family view the future? The built environment / landscape / architecture / regeneration The East Tilbury (Bata) Conservation Area was built in the 1930s, with the buildings and layout directly copied from the model community developed by Bata in Zlín.The creation of the factories in both towns dramatically altered the landscape of the areas. The factories in East Tilbury were sited in an area of high unemployment creating thousands of new jobs. With the decline of the industry in East Tilbury the Thames Gateway is now sighted as an area of regeneration.