TO TASTE, TO MAKE, FEEL, CHILDREN, TO SEE, SENSES, TOGETHER TO LISTEN, SPIRITUALITY, INNER WORLD, TO TOUCH,PLAY, SENSITIVITY, KNOWLEDGE
Senses which is our doors to the outer world and also to the inner world is what needs to be addressed and that too in a manner that would enhance the inherent, natural, biological tendency in all human beings to be in beauty and to know.
Senses connects not only to knowledge but also to the beauty of living. Sensitivity is in a way is matter of the awakening of the senses and feelings.
Sensing Nature; Knowing Nature is a workshop we have been conducting from 2003 at Aruvacode , Nilambur during the summer holidays – April and May. This year about 40 children of the age 5 to 15 from the village attended the workshop. Each and every time children have proved that they are born genius and they need to be left alone to make sense of the world.
The fundamental issues we raise through this event is the 'nature of learning, biologically embedded aesthetic sense in children, role of the 'teacher', do nothing method etc. It looks like that we are already born with aesthetic sense. I think this is our connection to the world and the way we conduct our lives provided we leave that to the nature in all of us.
The work shop on sensing nature is for providing space to come together to listen, to see, to taste, to touch, feel, to make etc. There is no teaching. Development of aesthetic sense which is the basis for all art forms seems to me the most important aspect to be explored as this would equip the student to pursue any art form at any time depending on the individuals interest and opportunities that might prop up. Rather than learning skills to sing, paint, draw etc this would make a qualitative and an attitudinal change. Teaching is not called for but by providing an environment that would allow the natural in us to come forth. This would require sensitivity, trust and indeed careful planning for the unplanned to happen.
Bringing back beauty and enquiry in to the day-to-day life of children.
The fundamental issues we raise through this event is the ‘nature of learning, biologically embedded aesthetic sense in children, role of the teacher, ‘Do nothing method’ etc.
In a way it is absurd to ‘sensitize’ the senses.
Awakened senses are the natural quality of all living beings. But schooling replaces the natural cognitive process.
The autonomous sense making capacity in human beings is replaced with ‘knowledge’ of ‘experts’.
Beauty is the most fundamental of human existence. Beauty is what truly makes one authentic. Beauty is what binds us to the external world. Beauty is what creates culture-the architecture, the music, the artifacts, various dance forms and agriculture.
De-colonization and de-conditioning process is essentially a process of recovering ones authentic sense of beauty and reclaiming ones senses.
All art forms are a result of the development of one of the senses.
Just as good musician needs good ears more than any thing else, a painter needs an eye that truly sees and a theater person observes life around them. So the workshop focuses more on awakening the senses than teaching any specific skills. This will do very less influence (harm) on children so that the children create with originality.
Beauty is awakened by our concrete engagement with the world around. Senses is what connects to the concrete world outside and awakens our aesthetic sense. Unfortunately modern education doesn’t recognizes the primacy of senses in engaging with the world nor does it accept the autonomy of the child a necessary condition for making sense of the world authentically.
It believes in mediating knowledge.
Contextually rooted aesthetic sense is the basis for the formation of cultural diversity.
Today the ‘educated’ is busy creating a homogenized world.
The traditional artisanal context, where institutional conditioning of aesthetic sense is not taking place, is where one should try to understand the formation of contextual aesthetic sense.
Children everywhere, left to themselves and ‘untutored’, respond to their surroundings meaningfuly – something that’s visible in their toys and games. Their response to their environment is through their senses
Senses which is our doors to the outer world and also to the inner world is what needs to be addressed and that too in a manner that would enhance the inherent, natural, biological tendency in all human beings to be in beauty and to know.
Senses connects not only to knowledge but also to the beauty of living. Sensitivity is in a way is matter of the awakening of the senses and feelings.
Sensing Nature; Knowing Nature is a workshop we have been conducting from 2003 at Aruvacode , Nilambur during the summer holidays – April and May. This year about 40 children of the age 5 to 15 from the village attended the workshop. Each and every time children have proved that they are born genius and they need to be left alone to make sense of the world.
The fundamental issues we raise through this event is the 'nature of learning, biologically embedded aesthetic sense in children, role of the 'teacher', do nothing method etc. It looks like that we are already born with aesthetic sense. I think this is our connection to the world and the way we conduct our lives provided we leave that to the nature in all of us.
The work shop on sensing nature is for providing space to come together to listen, to see, to taste, to touch, feel, to make etc. There is no teaching. Development of aesthetic sense which is the basis for all art forms seems to me the most important aspect to be explored as this would equip the student to pursue any art form at any time depending on the individuals interest and opportunities that might prop up. Rather than learning skills to sing, paint, draw etc this would make a qualitative and an attitudinal change. Teaching is not called for but by providing an environment that would allow the natural in us to come forth. This would require sensitivity, trust and indeed careful planning for the unplanned to happen.
Bringing back beauty and enquiry in to the day-to-day life of children.
The fundamental issues we raise through this event is the ‘nature of learning, biologically embedded aesthetic sense in children, role of the teacher, ‘Do nothing method’ etc.
In a way it is absurd to ‘sensitize’ the senses.
Awakened senses are the natural quality of all living beings. But schooling replaces the natural cognitive process.
The autonomous sense making capacity in human beings is replaced with ‘knowledge’ of ‘experts’.
Beauty is the most fundamental of human existence. Beauty is what truly makes one authentic. Beauty is what binds us to the external world. Beauty is what creates culture-the architecture, the music, the artifacts, various dance forms and agriculture.
De-colonization and de-conditioning process is essentially a process of recovering ones authentic sense of beauty and reclaiming ones senses.
All art forms are a result of the development of one of the senses.
Just as good musician needs good ears more than any thing else, a painter needs an eye that truly sees and a theater person observes life around them. So the workshop focuses more on awakening the senses than teaching any specific skills. This will do very less influence (harm) on children so that the children create with originality.
Beauty is awakened by our concrete engagement with the world around. Senses is what connects to the concrete world outside and awakens our aesthetic sense. Unfortunately modern education doesn’t recognizes the primacy of senses in engaging with the world nor does it accept the autonomy of the child a necessary condition for making sense of the world authentically.
It believes in mediating knowledge.
Contextually rooted aesthetic sense is the basis for the formation of cultural diversity.
Today the ‘educated’ is busy creating a homogenized world.
The traditional artisanal context, where institutional conditioning of aesthetic sense is not taking place, is where one should try to understand the formation of contextual aesthetic sense.
Children everywhere, left to themselves and ‘untutored’, respond to their surroundings meaningfuly – something that’s visible in their toys and games. Their response to their environment is through their senses