Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

Art education is essential to Käsityökoulu Robotti in bilateral sense: to discover in which ways art can be used to create understanding in technology and at the same time to teach children to use new technological tools as a way for self-expression. These questions are tied into each other as technology, such as code, can be important way to express oneself in a way that otherwise couldn’t be expressed. And at the same time using artistic approaches such as creative coding can generate embodied knowledge of technology. This is exceptionally important when dealing with the ever increasing digitalization of our society as it otherwise may presents itself as abstract and even magical or mystical. The article examines how does creative coding work as a teaching method in Käsityökoulu Robotti to promote both the artistic expression and critical understanding in technology. Creative coding is a tool for bridging the cap between maker movement, critical thinking, art practices and commons based ideologies. The research uses ethnographical analysis and interviews with teachers and students in art & craft school Robotti.