Abstract
This case study investigation forms part of the Faculty of Art Educations at Charles University's involvement with the AMASS (Acting on the Margin) project. The paper will draw upon the practical use of didactic methods from the field of service design to investigate what role the arts can play in societal challenges, and in turn to reflect on the societal impact of the arts.
The aim of this investigation is to provide art educators with insight and practical resources, who would like to engage in teaching socially engaged arts projects. In a time of social disruption, virtual communication and digital divide, this study focuses on the materiality and socially-engaged aspects of a design curriculum.
This paper analyses the didactic elements of a real-life design project that was initiated through a Visual Communication Design, Bachelor of Arts Degree. This design-based approach aims to inform art educators on how to turn the social power of art into critical pedagogic practices.
The project in focus, is a community-based case study in South Africa, which involved co-designing garments with and for cancer patients of palliative care. The ergonomically designed garments are not the main focus, but rather the teaching and learning that led to the development of this sustainable system.
To offer insights into the teacher - student - praxis interrelationships, the study is guided by a Research in Didactics Model, which investigates the Contextual nature; Subject matter, Method used, and the Outcome of the project. How does the cultural context influence the teachers' Embodied Learning practice? How does the student interpret and materialise the theoretical input of the teacher? Why is this local context globally relevant? This study concludes with the concept of Social Fabric, to make connections on how symbolic texture systems can lead to new modes of collaborative knowledge production.