Summer Camp: Remote Garden

Overview: 

New Media Gallery presents a 7 week distance summer camp that focuses on creating positive solutions for the future using art and science. We will combine art, botany and electronics to create a sustainable green work of art. Tackling big ideas with big solutions is a mainstay in the art community and we will look at artists using plants as a medium like Hito Steryl, Mel Chin and Gregory Herbert as inspiration for our own green artworks. Every week students will be provided a video that outlines a step in the project followed by an hour discussion with instructor, Chris Jung and a half hour check-in on everyone’s progress to help and provide inspiration. By the end of the summer camp students will know how to grow their own plants and use them to communicate their big ideas about the future and sustainability. 

Science: Why are plants important? How do plants grow?
Technology: How do we grow plants inside a home?
Engineering: How can I use a motor to move water?
Art: What is art activism? How can we make a sculpture or video with plants? How can we create meaning with plants?
Mathematics: How long does it take to grow a plant?
How much food does a plant need?
Ages:
8 – 13

Course Schedule:

Every Thursday, Jul 09 – Aug 20

7 sessions, 1:00PM – 2:30PM

View All Videos Here

Week 1: Plant a Tomato

Video 01 – Build a Camera Stand

Video 02 – Introduction

Video 03 – Plant a Tomato

  • Students will learn to plant and care for a tomato plant
  • 30 min video on planting and tending tomato plant
  • 1 hour teleconference introduction/discussion on art as activism and how the tomato plant will be used for art projects

Week 2: Moss Graffiti

Video 01 – Foreground and Background

Video 02 – Moss Graffiti

  • Students will learn how to create moss graffiti
  • 30 minute video on how to make graffiti paint that will grow into moss
  • 1 hour teleconference discussion on public art and communicating using positive and negative space.
  • 30 minute check-in from last week’s project

Week 3: Time Lapse Photography

Video 01 – Time Lapse Video

Video 02 – Editing Video

  • Students will learn to document their work using light and time lapse photography
  • 30 minute video on photographing art over long periods of time
  • 1 hour teleconference discussion on pacing and time in art. 
  • 30 minute check-in from last week’s project

Week 4: Design your Planter

Video 01 – https://vimeo.com/444357232

Video 02 – https://vimeo.com/442475066

Video 03 – https://vimeo.com/442202484

  • Students will move their tomato plant from a pod to a planter that they will create themselves
  • 30 minute video on constructing a planter using cardboard and found materials
  • 1 hour teleconference discussion on meaning in found objects
  • 30 minute check-in from last week’s project

Week 5: Automate plant care

Video 01 – https://vimeo.com/443537624

Video 02 – https://vimeo.com/445052226

  • Students will learn how to create an automated watering system using a motor and battery
  • 30 minute video on building automated devices using gears and pulleys
  • 1 Hour teleconference discussion on movement and kinetic art
  • 30 minute check-in from last week’s project

Week 6: Feeding plants with light

Video 01 – https://vimeo.com/447219151

Video 02 – https://vimeo.com/447311840

  • Students will learn to control light for growing plants and presenting artwork
  • 30 minute video on creating an art installation and the types of light used for growing plants
  • 1 hour teleconference discussion on how light can be used as a medium in art
  • 30 minute check-in from last week’s project

Week 7: Presentations

  • Students will present their projects
  • 1 hour discussion on ways to display artwork and how to reiterate works
  • 1 hour of presentations on artwork and feedback

Communication:

Learn how to use objects, imagery and movement to communicate emotions and ideas

Thinking:

Learn different ways to create a sustainable environment through experimentation and problem solving

Personal & Social:

Share ideas with peers and ways art can be a tool for outreach

Powerful Question:

When you work with a living thing, is it a collaboration? 

Summer Camp Kit: Purchase from New Media Gallery or collect on your own.

Tomato seeds – https://www.homedepot.ca/product/aerogarden-6-pod-cherry-tomato-seed-kit/1001342409 | https://www.homedepot.ca/product/mr-fothergill-s-seeds-tomato-principe-borghese-seeds/1000767242

Potting soil – https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/miracle-gro-seed-starter-8-8-l-0594873p.html?rrec=true#spc |https://www.homedepot.ca/product/miracle-gro-potting-mix-0-21-0-11-0-16-8-8l/1000127448

Peat Pods – https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/jiffy-12-cell-peat-pellet-windowsill-greenhouse-kit-0594306p.html#srp | https://www.homedepot.ca/product/jiffy-round-peat-pots-6-pack/1000410720

Cup of moss 

Glue gun – https://www.dollarama.com/en-CA/p-glue-gun/3035071

Peat Planters – https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/jiffy-round-peat-pots-26-pk-0594309p.html?rrec=true#spc | https://www.homedepot.ca/product/jiffy-round-peat-pots-6-pack/1000410720

Alligator clips – https://leeselectronic.com/en/product/18355.html

Small DC motor https://www.rpelectronics.com/rm2-regular-motor-high-power.html | https://leeselectronic.com/en/product/47535.html

LED string – https://leeselectronic.com/en/category/2609-led-string

9V Battery

9V Battery Holder – https://leeselectronic.com/en/product/653.html

$30 + tax

Choose a time slot to pick up your Summer Camp Kit here: https://doodle.com/poll/xxvyyxbzyekar2gh