Sum of Parts
BEGUN WITH (i) YOUNG OFFENDERS and (ii) STUDENTS OF PEACE & CONFLICT
Sum of Parts has evolved over the years into an interactive 2D exhibition installation, and a peacebuilding toolkit, originally begun with young offenders and completed by Sara. A square of eight by eight independently movable 30cm square cards and 20cm circles, each of the Sum of (140) Parts is designed to be moved about on floor or wall and placed by participants according to where ‘feels right’. The movable piece can be adapated for smaller groups, as well as incorporating participants’ own drawings or paintings on pre-formatted cards – in this case, the students in Rwanda were invited to draw images and symbols representing their cultural identity.
The earliest iteration of Sum of Parts – called Good Vibe – began as a large collaborative painting on paper with young offenders on the floor of Arts Lab. After the workshops, it was developed further by Sara with her own mixed media collage technique into a vast 2.3m x 3.3m triptych ….. and cut down into smaller, incongruous shapes. Years later, the piece was distilled further into a stack of 30cm squares – the basis of Sum of Parts – each of which Sara decorated with a final layer of black or white pattern.
Click on the links for more about Sara’s projects with young offenders and peacebuilding pedagogy in Rwanda.
