This is an example of how the work on PIMDI digital toolbox is going and how the exercises are developed. Please take look at what we already have published: https://pimdi.lhi.is

The main aim of the PIMDI digital toolbox is the introduction of the PIMDI methodology to arts educators, to provide them with teaching materials and exercises that have been tested and developed through collaborations, peer learning, and exchanges of experiences during the project‘s intensive weeks. Together with all the partners, we are discovering ways to connect all the work into the toolkit, contextualize the material and make it accessible.

To give an example, a new exercise in the toolbox was developed by the teachers at the Iceland University of the Arts along with their master students: the exercise was one of six that were introduced to the participating group during the last intensive week in Iceland. The aim of the exercise was to explore differences through our experiences and perception of the surroundings. The general description was as follows:

Two persons walk together in a line without speaking. When the person in front stops and sits down, the second person sits next to the first one. After sitting together some time and looking, draw what you find remarkable in your view. Only after finishing, look at your drawings together. 

From this exercise, the master students developed another exercise based on this to work with upper secondary pupils in which they drew the landscape that captured their interest. First they used three primary colors and then they made another drawing only with materials and colors found around them from mud, plants, etc. They rubbed these materials over the paper resulting in a new mixture of colors. In the first exercise the surrounding landscape played a big role, in the second exercise the rubbing itself played a bigger role. The representation of the landscape became of less important and moved closer to the place where the drawing took place. The master students reflected on the potential of the excercise and the different approches based on the materials:

“The drawings made with natural materials like mud and grass created more freedom for the participants to play with color and rubbing and be less concerned with representation. In this regard this exercise was liberating. The challenge was to work with what was available. The paper was fabricated though, and I think this exercise may become more interesting when this paper is no longer provided. Then the participant must find both the materials to work with and the surface on which to work. This does create a lot more difficulty, but I think the assignment becomes more solid and strong.“