txt at Claremont Studios
aGender is delighted to have been invited to run our pilot project, consisting of a series of workshops to complement the exhibition, txt: the art of words at Claremont Studios: a collection of contemporary visual artworks that incorporate the written word and which explores the tension and complexity created when a word is used not only for its literal meaning but also as a visual cue to lead through to layers of subtext and implied meaning. Funded by Gensing & Central St Leonards Forum and supported by local artist Lorna Hamilton-Brown MBE, Xaverine Bates held a series of workshops in the gallery space working with a group of young people.
The workshops explored the following topics:
The exhibition, txt: what is the subtext when an artist includes text in their work? What relevance does the medium have to the reading of the words & what additional layers of meaning does it add to the work?
Discussions about texting, social media & online pornography: Symbols used to in texting & their meaning, what happens when texts get misunderstood & misinterpreted, sexting, cyberbullying, different social media sites for different purposes, availability of online porn, consent, misogyny, sexual violence etc.
Gender stereotyping: objectification of women, gender roles, sexism, feminism
The artworks in the txt exhibition were used as a starting point for the young people to create their own work, incorporating text and expressing issues raised in the workshops. Xaverine and Lorna worked collaboratively with the group to explore their own artistic responses to the issues covered in the workshops.
As part of the workshops, we also had a multi-platform element, incorporating social media in the guise of a Facebook group to encourage engagement and dialogue with the subject in the days between workshops.
Each session was carefully planned according to good practice in teaching PSHE. As part of the evaluation process, we asked the participants to explain what they did or didn’t enjoy about each session.
