Teachers Guide to: Zoe Leonard Observation Point 31 March - 24 June 2012

Teachers Guide to: Zoe Leonard Observation Point 31 March - 24 June 2012

Fact file About Zoe Leonard Born in 1961, Zoe Leonard is an artist who works with photography, sculpture and installation. She lives and works in New York City, USA. Her recent exhibitions include a retrospective exhibition which originated at the Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland,(2007), and travelled to Museo Nacional Reina Sofía, Madrid (2008); the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich (2008); and Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna (2009). Other solo exhibitions have taken place at Dia:Beacon, Beacon, New York (2008 11); Dia at the Hispanic Society, New York (2008); Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio (2007); Vienna Secession (1997); and Kunsthalle Basel (1997). About Observation Point For this exhibition, Zoe Leonard has transformed Camden Arts Centre s Gallery 3 into a camera obscura 1. Daylight filters through a lens projecting an image of the world outside onto the floor, walls and ceiling, creating a spatially immersive experience. Alongside this, Gallery 1 has a new series of photographs depicting the sun together with a sculptural installation of found images in Gallery 2. Across all the galleries this major exhibition engages three distinct forms of photography experience, image, object and in doing so pushes at the boundaries of photography as practice and medium. Tying all Leonard s work together is her constant concern with perception and visual experience. Leonard explores photographic seeing, how we relate to the mediated image and how we perceive the world around us and how that affects our emotional, political, or psychological experience. 1 The camera obscura (dark chamber), predates photography, and is a natural phenomenon. From ancient times until the 18th century it was used as a tool by draftsmen, artists, architects and scientists to understand perspective and the physical laws of light. In this way, the camera obscura connects photography not only to the physical sciences, but to drawing, painting and architecture.

Prepare for your visit This section offers some starting points for teachers to build on in preparation for an independently led school visit to the exhibition. Have a read through the information points and questions below, and see how it fits in with your developing lesson plans. Gallery 1 presents a series of photographs of the Sun The sun is rarely the subject of photography, but what different roles can the sun or artificial light play in taking and producing photographs? Gallery 2 exhibits Leonard s collection of postcards from Niagara Falls How many different viewpoints of the Falls can you see? How many postcards do you think are included in the work? Do you think there are more out there that are not in Leonard s collection? Imagine you visit Niagara Falls, what experiences do you think the postcards can t describe to us? Can you think of other special places in the world that photography can t capture? Gallery 3 has been turned into a camera obscura projecting the street outside onto the gallery walls, floor and ceiling In what ways could you compare being inside this camera obscura to seeing a photograph of yourself in the street? When inside the camera obscura, can you guess what time it is? What do you imagine the gallery will look like in 1 hour? What about in 6 hours from now? Any idea what it might be like in 6 months?

Activities for the Gallery & Classroom This section is aimed at supporting teachers to develop practical responses to the exhibition, both in the gallery and at school. Teachers can book the Drawing Studio at Camden Arts Centre free of charge. See the Book a Visit section for more details. Key Stage 1 & 2: Looking Devices This activity plays with optical effects and looking devices, incorporating reading, writing and sentence construction derived from the postcard messages in Gallery 2. Materials list: 1 x cardboard tube per pupil, 1 x A6 mirrored card per pupil, sentences from the exhibition, marker pens, tape, blank postcards, postcard sized tracing paper. 1 At the gallery, read the following messages to your class, taken from the back of Zoe Leonard s Niagara Falls postcard collection: I have stood where these people stand / How would you like to visit here? / Does this look natural? / I am now looking at this beautiful sight only so much more beautiful than this picture. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Taking one of the messages as inspiration, ask each pupil to make a sketch on a blank postcard of their favourite place within the gallery. On a piece of tracing paper ask each pupil to write their own postcard message from their visit to the gallery. Stick the tracing paper to the back of the postcard so the writing is back to front. In the Drawing Studio or classroom, ask pupils to bend and attach a mirrored card to one end of the cardboard tube, at an angle, to form a looking device. Hide the postcards in secret places around the room. Using their looking devices, how many different postcard messages can the pupils find? Are the messages still back to front when using the looking devices? Could any of the postcard messages be the same as those on the back of the Niagara Falls postcards? Adapted from Taking Root, originally devised by Ashley McCormick.

Activities for the Gallery & Classroom Key Stage 3 & 4: Speed Photography This activity explores viewpoints, perspective, light, difference and similarity when making, viewing and curating art. The activity has been written for a group of 10 people. Materials: A selection of objects, 6 digital cameras, 4 spot lights 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 In the gallery, discuss the subject of control. How much control does Zoe Leonard have in how we experience the work? What has she controlled? What is she unable to control? In the Drawing Studio or at school, ask the group to construct a set in the centre of the room using the objects. Give each pupil a camera. Mark six photography locations on the floor in a circle around the set, and ask one pupil to take up each location. Set up four spotlights in a circle around the set, and ask the remaining pupils to take up each spotlight. Those at a spotlight control the lighting, while those in a photography location take a photograph. Give pupils no more than a minute to complete the task. Each pupil then moves clockwise to the next photography location or spotlight. Repeat step 6 and 7 until pupils are back at their starting point. As a group view and discuss the results, commenting on the lighting and viewpoints, and how these factors have affected the how the set is represented. Discuss the subject of control in this exercise, how much control did the pupils feel they had and what effect did it have on their photographs? Adapted from Insights, originally devised by artist Jessie Brennan and Michelle Gamaker Williams

Activities for the Gallery & Classroom SEN: Indoors/Outdoors This activity looks at constructing and understanding inside and outside spaces, and builds on the playful, performative experience pupils may enjoy in Gallery 3. Materials: A collection of objects, fabrics, images and patterns that you associate with indoor and outdoor spaces (at least 1 x per person), large frame coated in clear plastic sheet, 2 tables, camera, printer, 1 x stick per person, scissors, glue. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 At Camden Arts Centre, explore the various inside and outside spaces. As a group, remember at least three things pupils have found that you usually find inside and three things you usually find outside. Enter Gallery 3 and spend some time in the camera obscura. Discuss which things you find in the gallery that you usually find outside. In the Drawing Studio or back at school, place the objects in the centre of the room, and identify an indoor and an outdoor table, facing opposite each other. Pupils discuss whether each object is associated with indoors or outdoors. Ask each pupil to pick an object from the centre and place it on the relevant table for what they decide. Introduce the frame as a window, an object that can be both inside and outside. Transform the frame so that is looks like a window using the clear plastic sheet. Securely place or suspend the window between the two tables to divide the inside and outside spaces. Curate an inside and an outside landscape on either side of the window, using the tables and the objects. Take a photograph of each pupil and print them out. Each pupil cut out their portrait and glue it to the end of the stick. Pupils spend some time performing and interacting with their new inside and outside landscapes. Adapted from Get the Message, originally devised by artists Judith Brocklehurst and Georgie Manly

Images Zoe Leonard April, 4, frame 2, 2011 Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne Zoe Leonard Cover image: Zoe Leonard You see I am here after all, 2008 (detail) Installation view at Dia:Beacon, Beacon, NY. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. Photo: Bill Jacobson Zoe Leonard

Images Zoe Leonard You see I am here after all, 2008 Installation view at Dia:Beacon, Beacon, NY. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. Photo: Bill Jacobson Zoe Leonard

Images Zoe Leonard Arkwright Road, 2012 Installation view at Camden Arts Centre. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. Zoe Leonard

Book a Visit Introductory Resources Teachers Guide: every exhibition comes with a purpose made teachers guide to provide information, support and suggested activities in visiting our contemporary art exhibitions. Teachers Event: Thursday 26 April 2012, 4.00 5.30pm. Every exhibition hosts a special event aimed at teachers and educational professionals. The event includes a guided tour, discussion and taster sessions modelling our artist led workshops outlined below. Introductory Tour: groups are welcome to book an introductory 20 minute tour to the exhibitions with a member of our Education team. Book the Drawing Studio: groups are welcome to book the Drawing Studio on Tuesdays and Fridays for activities such as those in this Teachers Guide. Materials are not provided and terms and conditions apply. Extended Resources Artist led workshops groups are welcome to book a 2 or 4 hour artist led workshop, designed specifically around the exhibitions including practical activities. Materials are provided. Terms and conditions apply. Dates for artist led workshops: 4, 8, 18, 25 and 29 May and 12, 15, 22 June 2012. Next step Introductory Resources are offered free of charge to schools. Extended Resources are set at various prices, subsidies are available to state funded schools. For further information, prices and bookings please contact Nisha Matthew nisha.matthew@camdenartscentre.org Camden Arts Centre Arkwright Road London NW3 6DG +44 (0)20 7472 5500 camdenartscentre.org