plastic islands – plastic as a mirror of global context Erasmus Project

Project Title

plastic islands – plastic as a mirror of global context

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Environment and climate change; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

Our project “Plastic Islands” created a tangible connection for all participants between life in the modern industrialized country of Germany and that on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. The participants learned about the global context of the topic “plastic”. The approach to the material was initially impartial, as the students dealt artistically with the material plastic. The approach to this globally anchored topic via the communicative structures of art, namely the linking of haptic, sensual and cognitive experiences, meant an unusual challenge for the students. Taking into account scientific, geopolitical, linguistic and aesthetic aspects, they dealt with a globally significant topic with the aim of arriving at a reflected pictorial solution with a lasting effect.
At a first meeting in Guadeloupe, the different approaches to the theme were reflected upon and expanded in dialogue with the partners. Here, a first dialogue already took place about the interculturally different approaches to the topic. The German students had the opportunity to expand their first artistic experiences with the material on the island. However, but it quickly became apparent that the restriction to the material represented a very great challenge, since the reality of life on Guadeloupe did not correspond to the expectations of our students. Thus, we expanded the thematic complex to the area of perceived contrasts in the found living space in comparison to the everyday in Germany.
The artworks that resulted from this in the project course were presented in a small show of works at the end of the school year 2020. However, the pandemic situation meant that the students had to work very independently in their home offices.
The topic, which was originally planned as the last phase of the project and which was to focus on the special situation of Guadeloupe as part of Europe, was already addressed during the first encounter, since both students from the art project course and students from the French advanced course took part in this trip. The German students had the opportunity to gain insights into their understanding of Europe and their own identity in interviews with locals. These insights appeared in a new light when viewed against the background of the island’s colonial history. The students learned about literature on Creole identity and understood the special role of the inhabitants of the overseas department in the European context. A visit to the modern Memorial Act museum in Point à Pitre also provided a wonderful opportunity to engage intensively with the colonial history of Guadeloupe.
In a second project phase, the focus of the project work was on the life cycle of a product and the topic of packaging. Since it was not clear from the beginning whether a mutual visit could take place in times of the pandemic, the students had to meet virtually and work on their self-selected topics. After an initial theoretical phase on the topic of sustainability and the special geographic conditions of the island of Guadeloupe, the students were able to choose topics that they wanted to deal with in the production of a short film. For example, the students chose the topic of the “way of the banana” as a product that is grown on the island of Guadeloupe and can be bought in our supermarkets, or worked together on the topic of “reducing packaging/plastic waste” and portrayed an “unpackaged store” or compared the everyday life of students in dealing with plastic on this side and the other side of the Atlantic. Another topic was “climate change and it’s consequences for us in Bonn and for the partners on Guadeloupe”.
Unfortunately, it was actually not possible to organize further real encounters due to the still ongoing pandemic. Several online conferences on teams took place in the 2020/21 teaching year, during which the students got to know each other and then went into an exchange in small groups. The films that ended up being made are products of this collaboration. Even if there were no real visits, it has already become clear in the intercultural collaboration how different the approaches of the students are.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 41784 Eur

Project Coordinator

Clara-Schumann-Gymnasium Bonn & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Lycee Polyvalent Raoul Georges Nicolo