The Materiality of Nature

Students individually designed and crafted decorative mobile sculptures inspired by their school’s biodiverse woodland, with a particular emphasis on the Materiality of nature. The mobiles are exhibited collectively as a single suspended mobile installation, celebrating the diversity of natural forms and expressive materiality of nature.

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Throughout the unit, students explored decorative mobiles as kinetic structures, studying the works of Alexander Calder and contemporary artists such as Yuko Nishikawa. Responding to a design challenge, Students crafted their own mobiles to be integrated into a collaborative display reflecting the vibrancy and richness of their natural environment.

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Following the stages of the design process - Discovery, Interpretation, Ideation, Experimentation, and Evolution - students gathered inspiration through observational drawings and photographic studies of the school’s woodland. Approaching their designs through a ‘materiality-focused’ lens, students considered how form, matter, purpose, and expression are interconnected. Through experimentation with a range of materials, they refined their concepts, ultimately crafting suspended sculptures that embody both their personal interpretations and the natural textures, movements, and energies of the woodland space.