The street as teaching space. A case study

Abstract

With the problems facing our natural environment in an increasingly human centered world, students expect that taught content within tertiary design courses acknowledge environmental and social problems. How can knowledge within indigenous cultures contribute to and expand this content? Can this be achieved through locating teaching and learning outside the traditional spaces and systems? Many indigenous youth have been failed by the school system, but have developed strong skill sets through illegal tagging and graffiti. Even though they lack the academic passport acquired through school, they are ambitious for higher studies in creative practice. But they are unaware their knowledge and abilities are transferable to other creative disciplines; they do not connect their street art skills to professional design practices. By using the streets as a project based teaching space, we can engage youth who would normally be excluded from higher design education and release their potential as problem solvers.