Students were asked to look closely at subway train maps and discuss connections they might make with the train lines and how communities function.

Through the ‘How we organise ourselves’ Unit of Inquiry, students were given a provocation to ‘see, think and wonder’ about an artwork by Michael Landy that portrayed a black outline of a hand with coloured lines making up the palm lines. The students were able to make direct connections between that of Landy’s work, which was created originally for the cover of the London pocket subway book, and that of the train maps.

After much discussion, students were able to design their own subway maps using a printmaking technique. Foam was used to create templates for the lines to roll the ink onto and then connect multiple times on their large sheet of paper. Matchbox cars and toy trains were used to roll over their wet paint to create movement in their image and represent the train lines further.

The added collage detail of the car and train illustrations allowed students the opportunity to think about the balance of space in their artwork. It also encouraged students to further refine their work with a focus on the Line of Inquiry ‘How systems help to organise places’.

Year 3
Ballarat Grammar, Ballarat