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Rip, scrunch, tear, cut, flick, fan, fold, paste, float, wrap, unwrap, layer, bend, crumple...

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All paper used within process was used worksheets, old notebooks & soiled cupcake cases. 

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It was important for me to connect with paper as a material, I spent several hours, looking for paper objects around my house, comparing colour, texture, smell, touch, grains etc. When I think of paper I ponder on its journey, how it came to be a silky smooth page in a book, a sheet of newspaper or a crinkled case to store a sweet treat. I think of forests with trees towering tall; paper has a strong connection to place because of this.

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I enjoyed the weightless falling of crumpled scraps of paper carrying empty messages.

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Without diminishing the value of work that has been done, we should become more aware of the importance of the competencies that are necessary and the quality of the processes deriving from the work done. Therefore we should go further than the materials and techniques and take time over the process of empathy and the intense relation with things that the atelier promotes (Gandini, L, et al., p. 19 - 20).

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Paper becomes known as receptive, reactive, pliant, absorbent, responsive to touch, to bending, folding, and crumpling. These movements may be subtle, yet working with paper means one moves with the material in continuous motion, joining forces with it (Ingold, 2013), responding to its inclinations. One thing leads to another, Ingold writes, in “a gestural dance with a modulation of the material” (2013, p. 26). One never quite knows where one will end up

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Paper mache / water / flour / salt / whisk / paste / layer

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Paper mache / water / flour / salt / whisk / paste / layer

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My paper mache did not develop as I thought it would, though I appreciated the heavier, flaky texture, it did not make the final cut as I imagined, instead some large pieces of the paper mache were attached to the tree branches, less movement created, but unique and beautiful in its own right.

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It was a natural return back to the tree in my garden to continue my creative work

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It was a slow and careful creation. I had to respect the spiders webs and ensure I was not damaging their homes, I enjoyed creating an even deeper connection to this piece of work and nature.

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It all began with spending time with the material. I spent many moments feeling and smelling different forms of paper, thinking about paper in different contexts, its uses, the forms of paper and its journey. It was the journey that predominantly stuck with me, thinking of where paper comes from, a strong connection to place arose from this. Through my creative exploration of paper, movement and dance, I manipulated scrap paper in several ways; ripping, pasting, crumpling, saturating and cutting. I wanted to experience how paper moved differently when in different states, “Nothing is static; the world is full of movements with different rhythms and intensities” (Materials Encounters Catalogue, 2014, p. 10). It was a long, thoughtful process in which I followed the natural journey that led me to my final piece.

With the strong connection to place in mind I spent time playing and exploring paper outside; wrapping, folding and clipping it to a bare tree in my garden. Nature was evidently going to influence the form of dance the paper created. It was then I reflected on my ideas and exploration so far, thinking about how we as individual learners and beings will all have different connections to materials, paper specifically, forming our own learning journeys. This relates to the works of Reggio Emilia educators and the philosophy of the hundred languages, offering “a new vantage point for seeing children in their brilliance and competence in constructing and advancing their own understanding.” (Edwards, C, et al., p. 295).

My final piece is ironic, in that the paper has been taken back to its roots, connecting with place itself and moving freely in nature as it once did. The symbolism of the scrap paper taking on a new lease of life, not just used as a canvas to paint or draw on. I wanted to bring the paper back to life and appreciate it as a material, as well as appreciate the journey it has taken.

In early childhood, materials are closely connected to making. They are often set out for children to make or create something with, frequently with the assumption that children are full of ideas just waiting to be expressed through these materials. Yet, as Hillevi Lenz Taguchi (2010) describes, “the material world acts on our thinking as much as our thinking acts on the material world” (p. 49). We are moved by materials and are prompted by the materials’ own characteristics and liveliness. It is never as simple as ideas directly imposed on form (Pacini-Ketchabaw, V, et al., p. 33).

The relationship between the paper, the bare tree, wind, light and the natural soundscape created a flowing and symbolic dance celebrating the unique movements of the different forms of paper, representing the hundred languages. This final piece is open to interpretation. How do you connect to paper, movement and dance? I decided not to add music to this video as I hope you will be able to hear and appreciate the connection of place; the faint rustle of paper against itself and the branch dancing in the gentle wind.