Erasmusplus Project 2016-2018 “Making Art Together Brings Us Closer”
Italian Report of meeting in LUYNES 14-20_11_2016
After several weeks of hard work and almost a seven-month waiting, we (teachers from France, Italy, Lithuania and Romania) met at the Lycée Georges Duby in Luynes, near Aix-en-Provence from 14th to 20th November 2016. The Italian delegation consisted of nine people, seven students (six were hosted by French families, one stayed at the hotel Olympe) and two teachers (who stayed at the same hotel). Soon after our arrival and lunch at the canteen, in the early afternoon the Italian group and the Lithuanian one worked with the French team to prepare the activities to be implemented during the week with the Romanian delegation that had to arrive late in the night; moreover two Italian learners (Andrea & Fabio) cleaned and whitewashed the wall for the mural. At six pm all students were picked up by host families who were very welcoming. On the second day we met at school in order to become acquainted with the Romanian people. After the French headmaster’s welcoming speech, led by three expert guides, we all went on a bus to reach the natural paths of Cézanne where we did open air activities: drawings and paintings dealing with Sainte Victoire Mountain and its surrounding colourful and smelling natural landscape where the plays of changing light produce/d several shades of natural colours on “La Sainte Victoire” which “captured” Paul Cézanne: «L’ombre est-elle concave? Me suis-je demandé. Qu’est-ce que ce cône là-haut? Tenez. De la lumière? J’ai vu que l’ombre sur Sainte-Victoire est convexe, renflée. Vous le voyez comme moi. C’est incroyable. […] J’en ai eu un grand frisson». (Lettre à Joachim Gasquet). Here is that all European learners also saw the same “ombre” and “lumière” and felt the same “frisson”, becoming inspired painters on that day. At midday we had an amusing and socializing outdoor picnic. On Wednesday we spent the whole day at school where in the morning there were the presentations of each school through interesting and funny videos, selection of the project logo (among the several meaningful ones the people voting chose the Lithuanian one) and organization of workshops and teams for different artistic activities (to be carried out in the afternoon) such as writing texts for the travel book, wall painting of the Lithuanian logo, casting for the film. In the morning of Thursday at school we all (teachers and students) kept on writing the texts for the travel book, shooting of the film and producing the wall painting. In the afternoon we took the bus to reach Marseille in order to visit the intersting Mucem, that is an original gallery dedicated to the Mediterranean Cultures thanks to which we found out the Mediterranean is «Mille choses à la fois, non pas un paysage, mais d’innombrables paysages […] non pas une civilization, mais des civilizations entassées les unes sur les autres» (Fernand Braudel). In the evening we took part in a friendly social event with the host parents who brought some delicious homemade French food; the whole evening was exhilarated by the Lithuanian friends with a Lithuanian joyful song. On Friday, after completing all our workshop activities (texts, film editing, wall painting), at one pm we went to Aix-En-Provence for a sightseeing around the old town and for a stunning visit to Vasarely Foundation where we had an original optical illusion experience before the (five meters wide and eight meters high) works by Victor Vasarely who aimed «combattre les nuisances visuelles et réaliser la cité polychrome du bonheur» which the Lithuanian Dana and her merry company (always them, thanks to them) contributed by playing a piano (within the museum) & singing: in this way you can better “fight the acoustic & visual pollution in order to create the polychromatic city of happiness”, according Vasarely’s Weltanschauung, Europaanschauung in our perspective. We had another culturally rich day. On Saturday we all had free time: our students spent their day with host families while we (teachers) visited Marseille. On Sunday the Italian group left Aix-En-Provence early in the morning because our plane had to take off at 12 from Marseille airport. Due to this original project my students have improved themselves, not only from the artistic point of view, but above all from the human one, because they had the personal chance to overcome stereotypes concerning all foreign people, in this case the Lithuanian & Romanian ones: Mark Twain («Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and […]. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.» - The Innocents Abroad) & Henry Miller («One’s destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things.» - Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch) are absolutely right! We spent an artistically fantastic week thanks to the friendly availability of the French colleagues, Catherine & Henri, we can’t stop thanking: standing ovation!
Beppe & Peppino
From 14th to 20th November, 2016 5 students and 2 teachers of our gymnasium participated in the 1st mobility of Erasmus+ Project “Making Art Together Brings Us Closer“ in France. There we met Project partners from Romania, Italy and France and started working on Project activities. Since our Project is closely related to developing creativity, we had a great opportunity to measure ourselves in different roles, apply our own knowledge and experience something new. France, the coordinating country of the Project, gave us a chance to get acquainted with peculiarities of their French lifestyle. While living in host families, going to school, sampling local cuisine, participating in daily activities we felt like real French and it helped us in understanding our differences, discovering our similarities and overcoming stereotypical attitudes. Visiting places which were often paced by one of the most prominent artists Paul Cezanne and drawing/painting there became an invaluable experience.
South of France has a lot to offer... Nature of indescribable beauty, majesty of Sainte-Victoire Mountain, fountains in Aix-en-Provence, port and architecture of Marseille, coast of the Mediterranean Sea... Not without a reason it was a source of inspiration for various artists. It was a huge opportunity for us to see all this with our own eyes and we are happy to share our experience with other members of our gymnasium‘s community. There we created art while communicating, sharing our ideas and combining all our differences. We created art together and it made us closer. That is what this Project is all about. Now our students are looking forward to the next mobility in Romania. They are eager to experience even more and start viewing the world through the eyes of a European resident.
Jūratė
Welcome in Luynes
Making a poster
Logo contest
Shooting a film
Painting/drawing
Matbuc travel book
Painting on the wall
Visiting museums
Spending time together
Social event with parents
Video report on activities in Luynes