PH Ludwigsburg
“resistance to learning“
“take part in art“© Workshop with 25 students, College of Education, Ludwigsburg, Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Schüßler
“Fruit of resistance“
The workshop concept was based on the idea that resistance to learning could be compared to a field that needs to be dug over and cultivated. Materials used: 25 spades, apple trees, canvas, paint, small jars and a piece of lawn on the campus of the College of Education, Ludwigsburg. The workshop lasted two days (part 1).
First, approximately 80 sqm of lawn were dug over and prepared for planting by all participants together. Since the marked piece of land was dry and hard, students had to employ both physical and mental will power (part 2).
During the preparatory work, students had the opportunity to take breaks and relax, expressing on canvas their thoughts and feelings about the physical resistance they experienced (part 3).
After the field had been prepared, participants dug holes for the trees (apples being the symbol of life, knowledge and decision making).
Physical work was continuously interrupted by group discussions of individual and common experience. Each participant wrote down his/her own thoughts and insights. The notes were put in a small jar and buried under the apple trees. After the trees had been planted, students accepted responsiblility for a tree by signing certificates of caretaking.
The lasting effect of the workshop is the fruit orchard on campus that needs to be taken care of. Once students start harvesting apples they are literally enjoying the yield of their work. The artwork created on canvas is exhibited in the college‘s foyer, together with a wooden chest holding the spades and its lid showing the names of all participants and the title they chose for their work: “Fruit of resistance“ (part 4).