The Possibility of an Island in the AA; or how to deschool ourselves

Nicole Ng, MArch (Year: 5)

How can the AA empower its members in developing their own agency? What we ideologically aim for as an institution is often more difficult than what we can do on a day-to-day basis. The project interrogates the elasticity of Hooke Park as a place of experimentation and engagement with its woodlands and reveals its limitations due to staff capacity and liability. A site nicknamed the “Island” is offered as an additional learning tool that broadens forms of engagement within Hooke Park. It is an isolated woodland owned by the AA but never used by anyone. The “Island” can be a learning context inviting actions of immediacy and a visceral interaction with the woodland, thus aligning our operational capacities with the pedagogical ambitions of the school. The project is also a broader reflection on what educational institutions can strive to provide their students in a time where access to knowledge has drastically changed. Perhaps all we need from an educational institution today is the access to these spaces as tools of learning and to replace the old structure of the institution by multiple contexts that encourage the direct engagement from students. Please refer to my teammate Connie for additional insight

The "Island" A film as a journal entry of a student using the "Island" as a learning facility for the AA.

Hooke Cookbook - A collective research publication as a guide to Hooke Park. What other forms of engagement are possible in Hooke Park other than design and making?

Hooke Cookbook - A collective research publication as a guide to Hooke Park. What other forms of engagement are possible in Hooke Park other than design and making?

Diploma 18’s activities in Hooke Park were a test for the elasticity of Hooke Park as a place to accommodate diverse forms of engagement and experimentation for both AA’s students and tutors.

Diploma 18’s activities in Hooke Park were a test for the elasticity of Hooke Park as a place to accommodate diverse forms of engagement and experimentation for both AA’s students and tutors.

We went far into the woodlands, knocked over a tree and started digging even though we needed permission to do so. 

We went far into the woodlands, knocked over a tree and started digging even though we needed permission to do so. 

Compared to the highly managed plantations of Hooke Park, the “island” is left to its own devices of overgrowth and decay because it hasn’t been managed since 60 years ago. 

Compared to the highly managed plantations of Hooke Park, the “island” is left to its own devices of overgrowth and decay because it hasn’t been managed since 60 years ago. 

With little perceived value, the "Island" can be a place for re-imagination.  

With little perceived value, the "Island" can be a place for re-imagination.  

It has become a tradition for students to organise camping trips into the Island. An events calendar allows groups to self-organise and invite their own speakers to camp together.

It has become a tradition for students to organise camping trips into the Island. An events calendar allows groups to self-organise and invite their own speakers to camp together.

Why squat? Because it is something we can do within a limited time frame and our means to generate an idea of the “island” without compromises.

Why squat? Because it is something we can do within a limited time frame and our means to generate an idea of the “island” without compromises.

A possible scenario in the “Island”: A film still of a team bracing trees together to make use of the structure of the woodlands.

A possible scenario in the “Island”: A film still of a team bracing trees together to make use of the structure of the woodlands.

All ready!

All ready!

An invitation to squat: A handbook for squatting the “Island” with ten friends. It contains fabrication drawings for the construction of the platform, team roles, schedules and trip advice.