The cover image for the March 2021 issue of Stone Soup is incredibly striking. Aiyla Syed’s photograph “Sensation” (pictured above) perfectly captures a moment that feels familiar and playful in a visually compelling way. FRANCE. Paris. Place de l’Europe. Gare Saint Lazare. 1932. The composition of the photograph is wonderful. While the main attention in the foreground is Aiyla’s brother jumping in a puddle, the line of the road in the background and the horizon line provide a pleasing frame for the action. And the shadow provides a doubling of the subject that gives the image a really nice sense of symmetry. For me, this photo reminds me of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s famous 1932 photograph of a different puddle jumper (pictured right). In “Sensation,” there is also an interesting tension between the stillness of the surroundings and the sudden movement of the splash that Aiyla’s brother is making. What sounds do you think were happening as Aiyla was taking this photo? In addition to being an interesting piece of art, this photograph could be an excellent starting-off point for a story or a poem. The Activity For a writing or art activity, try to capture a moment where a silence or sense of peace is suddenly broken. You can do this with words or through a visual medium. What does the scene look like while it’s quiet? And what is it that suddenly disrupts this peacefulness? Maybe it’s a happy disruption, like a sudden laugh, or maybe it’s more serious, like an alarm. In any case, explore the sensation that occurs when the disturbance takes place.
art activity
How to Blend Math and Art
Did you know math can be art? I have been doing virtual school since March and I came across in one of my assignments a way of drawing a times table. First, you need to draw a circle like a clock. Make 0 be the 12 on the clock and make 5 be across from 0. It should look like this: Let’s assume you want to draw the 2 times tables. To do that, you need to draw a line from 0 to 2, 2 to 4 {2 x 2 = 4}, 4 to 6 {2 x 3 = 6}, 6 to 8, and back to 0 because 2 x 5 = 10 and the last digit ends with 0. Your picture should look like this: Things start to look more interesting when you do the 3 times table. Always start at 0. Draw a line from 0 to 3, 3 to 6 {3 x 2 = 6}, 6 to 9, 9 to 2 because 3 x 4 = 12 and the last digit is 2, 2 to 5, 5 to 8, 8 to 1, 1 to 4, 4 to 7, and 7 back to 0. Your picture should end up looking like this: Next, do this for the 8 times table: You will find that the shape, a pentagon, is exactly like the shape in the 2 times table. There is one difference though. In the 2 times table, you are going clockwise to make the pattern, but in the 8 times table, you are going counterclockwise. Try other multiplication tables like 4, 6, etc., and see what cool shapes you find! Who knew art and math blend so well together?!
Weekly Creativity #136: Invent a New Species of Animal or Plant
Imagine that you are a scientist who discovers a new animal species or plant. Draw or paint a picture that details your discovery. Is it related to any known species, or is it something totally new? If you want to, you can even give it a name.
