50 Ways to Use a Tool

Assignment:

Find a tool and use it differently than the intended function 50 times and document.

Guided Questions:

What would happen if you tried chopping vegetables with a hammer? What if you used a lunchbox as a napkin? What if you used a clock as a rug? What if you used a hanger as a bookmark? What if you used a pool noodle as a belt? What if you used a printer as a pillow? I want students to ask "what if" and write down a list of 100 tools they can think of that they have access to and then pick one tool and write down a list of what that tool could be used as using the list of 100 tools.

Tool:

a device or implement, especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function.

I am interested in the idea of activating possibility of how we could see tools differently. Because tools have certain functions, I wonder what would happen if we used them in a way they aren't intended to be used.

Artists:

Koki Tanaka, Martin Parr, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Lenka Clayton, William Lamson, Miranda July, Thomas Demand, Erwin Wurm

Artist: Koki Tanaka

Koki Tanaka is one of my very favorite video artists who made a project called "Everything is Everything" where he uses everyday objects differently than their intended function. "On the occasion of the Taipei Biennale, Me, my friends and my gallerist went to Taipei city, then found mere materials in daily use which is you can easily find in most of asian city. We were collecting the moment of improvised "performance" with those objects to activate possibility of how we could see it differently.” Here is the link to "Everything is Everything"

Using the 50 photographs, sound recordings, or drawings, I think it would be neat for each student to make a photo book, or perhaps a video piece like Koki Tanaka’s.

Photo Series

Video Series/gifs

A Collection of Remnants

Bottle cap as a pot - Sophie

Sculptures

Clothing

Zine/Book of Illustrations

Drawings

Library of Sounds

Wallpaper Set

50 formas de usar una herramienta

Asignación:

Encuentre una herramienta y utilícela de manera diferente a la función prevista 50 veces y documente.

¿Qué pasaría si intentaras picar verduras con un martillo? ¿Y si usaras una lonchera como servilleta? ¿Y si usaras un reloj como alfombra? ¿Y si usaras una percha como marcador? ¿Y si usaras un fideo de piscina como cinturón?