I’m seeking views on Dartmoor and if you’d classify it as a theme park or as a wilderness?
As you can see with the older posts here,
I’ve been working with young people who live on, or near to, Dartmoor & I’ve now asked them “would you classify Dartmoor as a theme park or a wilderness”
They will be undertaking some research into Dartmoor and then together we will visit this place and do some fieldwork, recording the place using sound, drawing, photography and text, before coming up with an answer.
Personally I’m tending to see Dartmoor more as a theme park then just a park, and definitely not a wilderness. As a managed environment – doesn’t that make it a theme park – whose theme is ‘a wild, natural country’?
i’ve thought it is interesting when i’m there that there is this boundary, one min you are in a park, then you aren’t. You cross this invisible line. Also interesting all the planning restrictions because you are in the park – making it seem like a different age.
But what do you think. How would you classify Dartmoor, a theme park, or is it wilderness?
I know things are never just B&W and I don’t really agree with sticking labels on things, but what do you think; can you help with this question?
I’ve made a poll and i’m seeking opinions at http://www.51degreesnorth.net/joe/archives/879
Read a review of my radio prog ‘sounds of the seaside’ here http://thedomesticsoundscape.com/wordpress/?p=2000
This radio program is one of the bases to me new project where i’m investigating Dartmoor.
One outcome will be another hr long radio show featuring childrens comments on the landscape, mixed with soundscapes.
Along with a radio show, this will be combined with other material and be placed into hand made boxes and placed in the landscape, as well as being put onto google earth.
Been an engaging and interesting experience so far with this project.
Taking my experience working with this school and the last project and in that I will be working with the whole year group, which means 300 plus children, the school agreed to my role being initially a planning role. This has meant I have spent time with teachers (from the art and the geography department) and with a selected group from the year group. Together we have devised the project and exercises they will undertake on their ‘deep learning day’.
Working with some of the children we tested out their ideas on each other before settling on the task.
The school have been great in that I asked if rather then the teachers telling the children the answer, we can ask a question and hear the answer(s) they might come up with.
From their research I will then combine into an artwork. All sounding very exciting and can’t wait till the days out.
been finalising the schools ‘deep learning day’, where children will be undertaken some field research. They will then be taking this back to school to compile and place in their specially created containers.
The crucial question I’d like them to bear in mind is, are we looking at manmade or a nature landscape; i.e. would you classify Dartmoor as a theme park, or as a wilderness?
On their walk around the tor they will have to undertake various tasks. They will find artists situated at waypoints along the way who can offer help and guidance to undertake these tasks.
can’t wait now – just hope the weather is not horrendous!
Planning is all coming together! got some great schemes developed with geography and the art departments. Really coming together. & great to see cross curriculum work with everybody sharing ideas to fully develop this project.
can’t wait now until our deep learning day going out to Dartmoor with the children.
