This project was developed by the teaching team at Årstadskolan, the coordinator of Creative Schools at Falkenberg Town Council and Tor Palm.
During the spring of 215, all 50 pupils at Årstadskolan (pre-school class up to year 5) participated in a larger project themed “The future”. The pupils were given a quick presentation of the last 200 years worth of crafts and industrial evolution and all the ideas that have materialised along the way. Tor emphasised how the craftsmanship is often forgotten over time. The pupils did an exercise together where they made a mind map based around the future. What will the world look like in a 100 years? What environmentally-friendly ideas and innovations do we have to develop?
Then the pupils were split into smaller groups and asked to visualise these ideas and innovations. Some went back to a more traditional, older, collectivistic society, while some developed iPhone25.
The same thing was implemented simultaneously at a school for Romani children in Bucharest. Their sketches were sent to Årstad, where the pupils would combine with their own sketches and interpret this vision of the future by using recycled materials and create an installation in one of the bigger rooms at the school. The school chose to spend longer on this project and Tor visited the school more or less daily over a two-week period, where each class created an artistic world of the future together with him.
The sketches from the pupils at Årstadskolan were then brought to Bucharest, where Tor spent two days and had the same sort of workshop with the pupils there. Everything was well documented during the entire project in order to then be able to show each other the different processes and results.
The project has emphasised the importance of problem-solving, time for reflection and highly skilled craftsmanship. Themes such as sustainable development, human rights and the equal value of all children are just a few of the important, major issues that have been touched upon and tackled during this process.
