Sensory Journeys
In January 2010 with support from Arts Council England, The Ernest Cook Trust and Bristol City Cycling Fund, Sustrans commissioned artist Christian Nold to develop Sensory Journeys with three Bristol Schools.
Christian is an artist, designer and educator working to develop new participatory models for communal representation. To develop Sensory Journeys Christian has worked with Sustrans' Bike-It officers and pupils in Bristol schools to investigate the sensory experience of the young peoples' school journey by varied modes of transport.
Sensory observations made during pupil's journeys to school have been explored through a series of specially developed workshops, designed to turn the pupils into 'Experience Collectors' using different activities to awaken their sense of sight, smell and sound. Their findings were recorded, discussed, and drawn, then compiled and downloaded using a specially created website and open mapping software www.sensoryjourneys.net, which could be used with schools across the UK to build a picture of the journey to school from the pupils' point of view.
To complete the project Christian has developed Sensory Maps for each of the schools incorporating the pupils thoughts, feelings, observations and drawings about the journey to school, which clearly show patterns to childrens' observations by different modes of transport. In particular, differences between observations whilst using sustainable modes of transport such as cycling, walking and scooting, to those made whilst driving.
To find out more download the Sensory Maps for Staple Hill or New Oak on the right hand side of this page and look at them in detail. Close your eyes and remember back to when you were about 10 years old and think about what you saw and felt on your way to school . Look carefully at the drawings. It appears that the childrens' experiences whilst driving are based on what they can see from the car window such as other vehicles and buildings. Whilst walking, cycling or scooting they smell the fresh morning air, hear people arguing in the street, and meet many more people on the way to school. What other differences can you see between the maps?
How we use cookies