slow looking Archives - thinking museum

4 Slow Looking Exercises for Summer 2022

BITESIZE: 4 SLOW LOOKING EXERCISES FOR SUMMER 2022 In an age where the average person checks their phone at least 85 times a day, our inundated brains are slowing down. ⁠ ⁠ We need to retrain ourselves to get better at sustained attention. And to learn to appreciate the benefits of it too.⁠ ⁠ Spending time slow looking offers refuge from the rush and time to slow down and see the details. It’s the opposite of scanning and scrolling. “Always-on” behaviour is about being in a constant state of alertness without

9 thinking routines to improve your powers of observation

9 THINKING ROUTINES TO IMPROVE YOUR POWERS OF OBSERVATION In today’s solo episode, I’m talking about observation skills - why they are important and I’m sharing 9 thinking routines that you can use to boost your observation and description skills. INTRODUCTION So, observation skills. As you’ll know from previous episodes, I’m really fascinated by observation and really interested in developing my skills in this area (I have LOADS of books on this subject!) Most of the time we are observing passively - missing out on a wide range

Learning to Love ‘Boring’ Objects through Slow Looking

LEARNING TO LOVE 'BORING' OBJECTS THROUGH SLOW LOOKING In today’s solo episode, I’m talking about ways to work with objects that you might find 'boring' or uninspiring. I’m sharing how we can use slow looking to learn to love objects that we might otherwise overlook or reject. And how we can get our visitors and participants excited by these types of objects too. INTRODUCTION I had a chat recently with a fellow educator about how we can work with objects that we don’t instantly feel attracted to, objects

What is Slow Art Day?

WHAT IS SLOW ART DAY? Slow Art Day is an international event celebrating looking at art in a different way. This year Slow Art Day is taking place on Saturday 2 April 2022 in nearly 150 venues around the world (and counting…). So, what is Slow Art Day all about? Here’s what you need to know. HOW DID SLOW ART DAY START? In 2008 Phyl Terry visited The Jewish Museum in New York and instead of trying to see everything, he found a select few pieces to focus on: just 2 paintings: Hans Hoffman’s

Tags: art education, close looking, museum education, Slow Art Day, slow looking, thinking routines, visible thinking|

12 Reasons to Get Started with Slow Looking

12 REASONS TO GET STARTED WITH SLOW LOOKING Slow looking is simply the art of learning through observation. As I mentioned in last week’s post, slow looking has become hugely popular recently with many museums and individuals offering virtual sessions for lockdown. But, why would you want to slow down and spend time with just one artwork or object? Why is it important to practise paying attention and noticing more details? Looking at something slowly and carefully is in itself a rewarding process – the object or art work becomes more interesting the longer you look at

3 SLOW LOOKING ACTIVITIES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

3 SLOW LOOKING ACTIVITIES FOR THE HOLIDAYS For our last episode of the year, I'm sharing 3 slow looking activities for over the holidays. It’s a busy time of year and we’re all rushed off our feet. There’s also still a huge amount of uncertainty around right now just to add to the levels of stress and anxiety. Slow looking is a wonderful antidote to life in the fast lane. Looking at something slowly and carefully is in itself a rewarding process. More than that, slow looking improves your observational skills, helps us to become less distracted

5 Simple Slow Looking Activities for Summer

5 SIMPLE SLOW LOOKING ACTIVITIES FOR SUMMER SUMMARY Today I’m sharing 5 simple slow looking ideas for the summer. In our fast-paced society, we scan, we skim and we scroll. We have forgotten what it’s like to really look at something. Slow looking is a wonderful alternative to life in the fast lane. The 5 activities I'll be sharing here are simple, effective ways to slow down, improve your observational skills and focus and notice more details around you. You can use these slow looking activities throughout the summer - either on your own or with friends and

How to Develop a Daily Slow Looking Practice

HOW TO DEVELOP A SLOW LOOKING PRACTICE Slow looking is not only an important part of my work, it is also a personal practice - something that I’ve been doing regularly for the last few years. I’m really interested in developing my observational skills and I’m also fascinated by what happens when we spend a longer period of time looking at something. Our general approach to looking is, however, flawed and we try to look at things as briskly and efficiently as possible. We need to slow our looking down and give our brain the time and space

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What is Slow Looking and How Can I Get Started?

WHAT IS SLOW LOOKING (AND HOW CAN I GET STARTED?) INTRODUCTION Everything I do in my work is underpinned by slow looking. It has been a huge part of the way I’ve led the most engaging discussions over the last 10 years. And if you remember from episode 1, I talked about when I first discovered slow looking in 2011 when designing the Stories around the World programme at the Tropenmuseum using thinking routines (from Visible Thinking) to look at objects slowly and carefully. We had participants as young as six looking intently at objects and art

Introducing The Art Engager Podcast

The Art Engager Podcast Trailer Welcome to The Art Engager podcast! This podcast here to help educators, guides and creatives engage their audiences with art, objects and ideas. Each week I’ll be sharing a variety of strategies, ideas and inspiration to help you to engage and connect with your audiences and confidently lead lively art and artefact discussions. Trailer Highlights What The Art Engager podcast is all about How and why creating real engagement with art and museum objects can be tricky What is Visible Thinking in the Museum? What we're going to be talking about on this podcast

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