Using Science Fiction to Teach Creative Thinking, Part Three: SteamPunk

Part Three: SteamPunk and Learning to Step Back

Neverwas haul, photo courtesy of hanttula.com

SteamPunk is a sub genre of science fiction that is primarily focused on the creation of an alternate history with Victorian era/ Western Themed / Mechanized gadgetry.  The style features "retro-futurstic" works that are primarily steam powered. 

Hanging out at the MAEA SteamPunk gala with
former student teacher and art ed buddy, Michelle

The 2013 Michigan Art Education Association conference held at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island's theme was the "Grand Vision" and decked out in SteamPunk finery. 

There are lots of resources online about SteamPunk and even conventions where people can connect and celebrate their creativity in this theme.  

Learning to step back:

As an art teacher, we find ourselves in a dilemma when we stumble across fun art styles that inspire us.  We get "tunnel vision" and a grand idea in our heads about all of the cool things our kids could do with the theme that's inspired us.  I think it's natural for us to do, we're creative people.  In my early teaching days and not too distant past, I have been guilty of asking my students to make Impressionist or Aboriginal or Monochromatic "Blue Period" style paintings, Louise Nevelson boxes or Alexander Calder mobiles.  And just like getting excited about Chuck Close's fingerprint portraits I used to have my high school kids make, learning about SteamPunk got me thinking of all of the cool gears and watchfaces I could get my hands on for students to incorporate into jewelry or something equally cool, like maybe they could all make SteamPunk glasses like my friend Michelle is wearing in this photo.

Looking at my practice critically however, it's important to ask myself, "Where is the line that is crossed when the art or creative thinking our students are making/doing is ours (or someone else's) and it becomes no longer the students?"

How do you encourage creative thinking and creative invention/discovery if we ask our students to create work in the theme of ___________ (whatever the teacher has become inspired by, in this case, in the theme of SteamPunk).   How can I have my students learn about an art movement or art style and not have them be copiers of a style or of another artists' ideas?  I posed this challenge to myself: How can I accomplish these two goals:  A. Introduce students to this cool science fiction style of art making.  B. How "hands off" can I be in designing a lesson so that my students maintain the role of being the most creative people in the classroom and not just following through with an idea I have?

This is what we did.

1.  I showed them lots of examples of really cool SteamPunk Art work.  We looked at videos, people making costumes, tons of sculptures and mechanized SteamPunk toys, jewelry, and we even watched a little of the Tim Burton animated movie "9".   The lesson timing lined up with a field trip for all sixth graders to visit ArtPrize (an international art competition held annually in downtown Grand Rapids, MI) where many of the submitted works were SteamPunk in design. Every year there are more than a few works made by local artists who are skilled at welding and animatronics. The kids were excitedly pointing out to their non art class friends all of the SteamPunk features they could identify.

2. We gathered materials for mixed media assemblage sculptures.  We asked for broken appliances, tech trash, broken down computers and printers, nuts and bolts and random scrap from garages and foundries.  We got a lot of really bizarre stuff, which was cool.

Learning how to use tools properly.

Figuring out how to take stuff apart.

Sharing treasures. 

Collaborating and building on each others creative ideas.

3.  The students were given the following directions:   Take some stuff apart.  See what's on the inside, how does it work?  Make something from what you've destroyed. Make sure it's interesting enough that you are proud of it. Make it with care. How can you put things together without showing how they are attached or the attachment is part of the design? Go.

I did not ask them to make something specifically SteamPunk inspired, on purpose. You can still see the SteamPunk influences showing up in some of their work.

Retro-futuristic fashion

Policeman in a warehouse

Hot Air Balloon

Jeremy

Headband of the future

SteamPunk spider (that actually crawls!)

The students had a few different gauges of wire, hot glue guns and dollar store tools at their disposal.
With laminate floor samples to cover/protect the tables, they got to work disassembling and exploring stuff.  Some students chose to work alone, many chose to collaborate.  Aside from the sound of destruction, you could have heard a pin drop they were so engaged.

Key to my heart

Robo turtle

Hypnotic Photographer

Harold

Robo butterfly

Super kitty

4. At the end of the week students named their work and wrote reflections on what they learned about the creation process and the Steam Punk movement.  Note: they were not asked to  write about how their work was "Steam Punk". They did happen to draw some parallels naturally though. The students set up a mini- gallery around the room and we talked about the ideas and experiences that each artist had during this discovery lesson.

Tiara with Laser

Reginald and Franklin, best friends

Time eternal

Roberto

PaintBot

Because I did not say to them "Make something that looks like SteamPunk." or "Make a robot" or "Make a sculpture that does ________", there was a very wide variety of student responses.  Learning to step back and let go of your vision allows room for the students vision to develop.