Resource for Güler Ates, Chase Lane Primary School

Eternal Maharana and She II (2013) Güler Ates (born 1977)

Using the artwork to fuel the imagination This session develops visual literacy skills, as well as articulacy. It explores cultural/identity themes, and leads through to written English. If possible, pupils are encouraged to explore the photograph without referring to the information provided. This frees up the space for them to invent (there is no right or wrong). As a group, looking at the artwork Thinking about the room - Where are we? What country do you imagine this is? What makes you think that? When are we? Is this modern, or olden times? What makes you think that? What do you think is happening beyond the room? Imagine going through each of the doorways. What might we discover? If we were there, what might we hear and smell and feel? Thinking about the figure in the artwork - What is their name? How old are they? Who do they live with, and where? What were they doing five minutes before the moment captured in the photograph? What will they be doing five minutes after the moment captured in the photograph? What kind of a social life do you think they have? Once you have spent some time thinking about these things, you are ready to get imaginative.

Stepping inside the photograph

As a group: Find a volunteer who feels confident to do some role-playing. The volunteer sits in a chair – the HOT-SEAT – facing the rest of the group. He or she is now acting as the person in the photograph. Ask him or her questions about their life, about the moment captured in the artwork, and about things which might have taken place since then. The volunteer must answer the questions as imaginatively as possible. • If you like, change the person in the Hot-Seat now and then. Each new person needs to stick to the ‘facts’ provided by previous volunteers. • If you like, you may introduce other characters in Hot-Seats. Add a second chair and ask for a new volunteer to sit in it. Give them a part – say, the sister of the figure in the photograph, or their pet parakeet – then fire questions at either your first volunteer, your second, or both. • You can always add more Hot-Seats to fill out the story - anyone else you think might supply an interesting bit of story: a cook, or a neighbour, or anyone…Use your imagination!

Don’t forget It’s fine for boys to play female characters and the other way around – it might uncover some interesting perspectives...

In the classroom: Now you have been exploring the photograph, you will have developed lots of ideas and be ready to write something. Senses Poem Putting yourself in the picture, imagine you are the figure in the photograph. Now, write six lines. Each line should use a different one of the five senses and one SURPRISING simile or metaphor. Think of things nearby and far away, things obvious and almost unnoticeable, things happening simultaneously, things imaginary... A simile compares something to something else using words such as “like” or “as” – ‘My love is like a red red rose’ A metaphor compares something to something else by saying it is the other thing – ‘The moon’s a balloon’ Write a sixth line, which can be anything you like, BUT it must begin with “I wish…” Activity: Create a Photographic Portrait This activity is designed to introduce students to thinking about how they can represent a little of who they are through self-portraiture. Understanding: 1. How you can represent meaning and ideas in an image. 2. How you can build/construct an image – introducing idea of composition. 3. Thinking conceptually – metaphor and symbolism. Materials/Space Needed: CAMERAS (one between two) PROPS (decided by students) - Invite students to prepare for the session by bringing objects that represent them or have some meaning to them. These ideas can be explored ahead of the practical photography session with a discussion of objects - things students hold dear to them, and why. SET UP: Find a clear space that students can ‘dress’ with their own props. CONCEPTS: – Thinking creatively about portraiture – Communicating meaning through visual imagery – Understanding self-directed portraits and authorship (in an age of selfies, is a photo a self portrait if someone else holds the camera? How do we define whose photo it is: by who takes it, or who directs it, or who is its subject?) – Pair work (negotiation, communication and feedback) – Basic editing and selection – Forward planning and organisation

Differentiation Strategies Pair work to enable everyone to begin activities with support. Support teachers in class to further support those who need it. These adults are part of each

activity. Step by Step: This activity is designed to introduce students to thinking about how they can represent a little of who they are through self portraiture. It can represent how others see them, how they want to be seen, what objects might symbolically represent their likes, values, tastes etc. It challenges them to rethink the self-portrait. Create pairs and give each pair a camera. This ensures that each person in the pair supports the other in their process of image making. In pairs each creates 2 portraits: 1. One that doesn’t reveal your face but might use your body in some way to represent you (hands, feet, hair, eyes etc) (see below for Hands - Mendhi) 2. One that doesn’t include either your face or your body but might include objects/clothing/possessions/symbols that represent you in some way.

It needs to represent who you are – either things that you or others identify about you or perhaps objects that belong to you and people identify as yours? This will enable them to read your image and have some understanding of you.

Think about the composition of the image, what’s in the frame and what is not, think about the

setting/background for the image, how you use colour, lighting (bright or low, do you use flash) etc

Select best 2 images each (after discussion in your pair) and delete others from card.

When finished, take memory card and give to your member of staff team to create a project folder and download images from camera.

“She II” Güler Ates’ photograph is called Eternal Maharana and She II. ‘She II’ is Güler’s name for the woman in the picture. Background information The photograph is taken in the City Palace Museum in Udaipur, a city in Rajastan, West India. First built in 1559 by Rana Udai Singh II, the huge palace has courtyards, fountains, paintings and furniture. Udai Singh II was the Maharana. In Hindi, ‘Maharana’ means ‘King of Kings’ and was a special name used for royal Indian rulers. He was the 53rd ruler of the Mewar dynasty. He had twenty two wives and over 56 sons and 22 daughters. Provocations to discuss In the photograph, the woman is not showing her face. How does this affect our ability to ‘read’ the image? Does it allow us to more easily imagine ourselves in her place?

Why does Ates call the woman ‘She 11’? We know that this is taken in 2013, but Ates is calling our attention to events that happened almost 500 years ago. How can we imaginatively enter the past? Activity: Mehndi Mehndi is a form of body art originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which decorative designs are created on a person's body, using a paste, created from the powdered dry leaves of the henna plant. Mehndi decorations became fashionable in the West in the late 1990s, where they are called henna tattoos. Mehndi in Indian tradition is typically applied during special Hindu weddings and Hindu festivals like Karva Chauth, Vat Purnima, Diwali, Bhai Dooj and Teej. Dating back to ancient India, mehndi is still a popular form of body art among the women of the Indian subcontinent, Africa and the Middle East. Mehndi is derived from the Sanskrit word mendhikā. The use of mehndi and turmeric is described in the earliest Hindu Vedic ritual books. It was originally used for only women's palms and sometimes for men, but as time progressed, it was more common for men to wear it. Traditional Indian designs are representations of the sun on the palm. Mehendi has a great significance in performing classical dance like Bharatnatyam. There are many variations and designs. Women usually apply mehndi designs to their hands and feet, though some, including cancer patients occasionally decorate their scalps. Prompt Draw around your own hands and decorate inside the space. Below are some designs to inspire you. Additional ideas - Showcase/ celebration event Invite parents to lead in a Mehndi decoration session.

Top Trumps These can be used as an extension task to Ates research, linking with further information on the place depicted in Ates’ photograph, or as a short game at the end of the lesson. The cards provided below are templates. Create your own illustrations based on the facts provided on the cards, to create a customised school set of Hindu Top Trumps.