July 27: Drawing Motion: GPS Drawings like Muhanned Cader
Assigned Teachers: Brintha, Suren
Intro
Muhanned Cader is an artist from Sri Lanka. He makes drawings, paintings, and collages that often feel like fragments of memory, shadow, or landscape.
He likes to show not just what places look like, but what they feel like.
ඔහුට ස්ථාන පෙනෙන්නේ කොහොමද කියන විතරක් නෙවෙයි, ඒවා හැඟෙන්නේ කොහොමද කියන එකත් පෙන්වන්න ඔහු කැමතියි.
ஒரு இடம் எப்படி தெரிகிறது என்பதையே değil, அது எப்படி உணரப்படுகிறது என்பதையும் காட்ட அவருக்கு விருப்பம்.
GPS Drawing: Jaffna Hostel (Kalviyankadu) to Ramanathan Academy (Maruthanarmadam), Three-wheeler, 12 km, 26 April 2012 (2012)
Muhanned Cader began his ongoing GPS drawing series while living in Jaffna. The artist makes the works by placing a sketchbook on his lap and allowing the nib of a pen to move in response to the movements of his mode of transport, as he travels from one place to another. The drawings include the place names of the beginning and endpoints of each trip, along with the date and the mode of transportation—auto-rickshaw, train or car—used by the artist. The series takes its name from the global positioning system (GPS) that uses satellites to track the movement of objects or people within a given location. He also added notes about time, place, and vehicle, turning these simple marks into stories of movement and experience.
Do these drawings below give you a feeling of motion? or movement? what does it make you feel?
You will need:
Tracing or tissue paper (A4)
Clipboards or hard surfaces
Colored pencils, pens, or markers
Scissors, glue sticks
Optional: audio of bus or street sounds
Guide
Step 1: The bus ride! (10 min or less)
Set up chairs to create a “bus.”
Imagine you are heading from the Children’s center to Mount Lavinia Beach. (you can play traffic sounds on your phone)
Students take turns as driver, conductor, and riders.
The driver calls out movements: “Sharp turn!” “Speed bump!”
Riders respond to the motion, preparing to draw
Step 2: Drawing in Motion (20 min)
Once students have got used to the bus ride idea, each student draws on tracing paper or tissue paper using one colored pencil or pen.
They place the paper on a clipboard or hard surface and draw while “riding” the imaginary bus.
Encourage blind drawing, non-dominant hand, or two-handed drawing.
Ask them, where are you going? is it to Jaffna>? what about to sinharaja? maybe even Yala in a safari jeep… maybe you prefer the train.. etc. or a three wheel..
Have them add small notes (name, time, and vehicle)
Step 3: Layering and Collaging
Students cut pieces of their tracing paper drawings.
They layer their work with others’ drawings to create collective collage. you can overlap the tissue paper to get interesting layers.
Add textures (magazine scraps, bus tickets, etc.) to enhance the map-like feel.
Step 4: Reflection
hang the collage up and stand in front of of together and take a look. point at some of the collages and have students guess which drawing was going where!
Other questions:
Where did your drawing take you?
Did you go somewhere you know, or somewhere totally new?
What did your hand do while the vehicle moved?
What did you feel while you were drawing?
If your drawing could talk, what would it say about the journey?
