Fog & Mirrors Tour, Part One

GROW students visited the Nasher during the past month for a tour called Fog & Mirrors. The next three blog posts will take an in-depth look at each stop on our tour.

Visit 2 Vocabulary: 

reflection / reflexión

refraction / refracción

transparent / transparente

translucent / translúcido

opaque / opaco

fog / niebla

We began by briefly reviewing the Sticks & Stones tour, recalling artist Giuseppe Penone's interest in nature and use of natural materials.  We then discussed how artists often use skills and knowledge that they might learn outside of art class, specifically science and math.  The first work of art in our tour was made by Ann Veronica Janssens, a Belgian artist who is very interested in science.  In fact, she compares her creative process (what she thinks about and how she creates a work of art) to the way a scientist conducts experiments.

The students began by sharing their observations and questions about Margarita, made by Ann Veronica Janssens in 2016.

Ann Veronica Janssens, Margarita, 2016

Students then became active viewers by standing on their tiptoes, bending over, and walking all around Margarita to view it from many angles.  They loved making discoveries as they moved, noticing multiple reflective surfaces and seeing their friends as they looked through the sculpture.  The students also enjoyed trying to figure out what created the lime green color in the sculpture that is only visible from certain angles.

2nd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

We introduced most of our vocabulary words during our discussion, including the terms transparent, translucent, opaque, reflection, and refraction. Look at the photos above and find as many examples of these words as you can!

After we talked about how Ann Veronica Janssens made Margarita, we looked at a similar work of art named Blue Wind from 2010.

Ann Veronica Janssens, Blue Wind, 2010

 3rd grade

4th grade

After walking around Blue Wind, the students discussed similarities and differences between the two sculptures.  They continued to use their vocabulary words as they connected Janssens's materials with scientific concepts.

Margarita and Blue Wind are great examples of Janssens's interest in light and color, and specifically the way her sculptures reflect and refract light.  Reflection and refraction are two of the vocabulary words for this tour.  Students were familiar with the idea of reflection, which they immediately connected with mirrors.  Refraction is a more complex concept, though the students seemed to understand this idea through the context of the sculptures.

Click on the resources below related to our tour's vocabulary, as well as an experiment that helps explain how and why light refracts.

Vocabulary words: http://www.lovemyscience.com/cat_bendinglight.html 

Refraction experiment: http://www.lovemyscience.com/bendingpencil.html

Stay tuned for the next stop on the Fog & Mirrors tour!