Duchamp au Jardin

The interdisciplinary Duchamp au Jardin workshops offer primary school pupils from 5 to 8P concrete ways of tackling issues of ecology and nature in the city through a dialogue with contemporary art, by interacting with artists' works and creating their own instructions.

Duchamp au Jardin arises out of the Biennial (re)connecting.earth (01) - Urban Gardening, focusing on the new forms of connection explored by city dwellers with the soil and nature within cities.

This programme has been developed in collaboration with the Department of Public Education (DIP) and is supported by the City of Geneva and the Republic and Canton of Geneva.

Duchamp au Jardin
Montfleury school pupils at a Duchamp au Jardin workshop. – Laura Moreva
Duchamp au Jardin
Sécheron school pupil drawing in Barton Park, inspired by artist instructions. – Lucille Chaboche
Duchamp au Jardin
Montfleury school pupils at a Duchamp au Jardin workshop. – Laura Moreva

● How do the workshops work?

The workshops are designed for three sessions of two 45-minute periods each, spaced one week apart. They are based on a series of instructions designed especially for the project by Swiss and international artists. These invite theoretical and practical interactions with nature in the city, and lead to performative actions and drawing.

After studying and activating the artist instructions, the students are invited to develop and create their own.

These new works become an integral part of the exhibition for children and are exhibited in the school at the end of the workshops.

Duchamp au Jardin
Sécheron school pupils taking part in a Duchamp au Jardin workshop in Barton park. – Lucille Chaboche
Duchamp au Jardin
Pupils working in class at the Vigne-Rouge school to create their instructions. – Laura Moreva
Duchamp au Jardin
Sécheron school pupils taking part in a Duchamp au Jardin workshop in Barton park. – Lucille Chaboche

● What topics are covered?

The workshops meet several objectives of the Educational Plan for Cycle 2 in French-speaking Switzerland (PER). Activating the instructions allows an interactive exchange to be developed on notions of biodiversity and urban ecology with an artistic and creative approach. The specific themes covered include the diversity of living things (such as plants and their roots), soil life and its functions, and the interactions between species and their environment.

Duchamp au Jardin
Duchamp au Jardin workshop in class. – Lucille Chaboche
Duchamp au Jardin
One of the mediators of the Duchamp au Jardin program presenting images of insects to a class to improve their understanding. – Laura Moreva
Duchamp au Jardin
During the mediators training course. – Lucille Chaboche

● Where do the workshops take place?

In order to experience nature in the city more directly, at least one of the workshop sessions takes place outdoors, in a location close to the school chosen with the teacher. Remaining sessions take place in the classroom.

Duchamp au Jardin
Montfleury school pupils drawing in the park near the school during a workshop. – Laura Moreva
Duchamp au Jardin
Sécheron school pupils with one of the mediators of the Duchamp au Jardin program. – Lucille Chaboche
Duchamp au Jardin
Creation of instructions at the Vigne-Rouge School. – Laura Moreva

● Who leads the workshops?

The workshops are run by mediators from the art-werk association, who specialise in contemporary art and/or urban ecology. The school teacher should also be present during the workshops.

Would you like to organise Duchamp au Jardin workshops in your school? Contact us:

Instruction

Roots

Roots

Caroline Bachmann