MARIA NYMFIADI

Drawing lesson in Athens Conservatoire,

Faculty of Drama, February-March 2014

I was invited to develop a short drawing course for Drama school students .One project we worked on was the “Unswept Floor”, based on a mosaic from the second century B.C copy from one that Sosos of Pergamon made. The artist has created a floor covered with the debris of a banquet, the remains that would normally be swept away. One could observe lobster claws, chicken bones, shellfish and even a tiny mouse that is nibbling a walnut shell. I presented visual examples of these mosaics and how they have influenced contemporary artists. Following the visual examples of artists influenced by and I asked the students to search their pockets and bags for “waste” items that could be interesting for them to draw. They drew their “waste” on an A4 page paying attention to the shadows formed outside of the object. When they concluded we combined all the drawings in one “unswept floor”. In the end we discussed the result, the use of waste in art, what did the outcome say about their lives and they decided how to title the group project.

Photos: Maria Nymfiadi and Maria Papadopoulou