Documentation
Throughout the trip, students and professors engaged in many forms of documentation. One of the main goals for the studio was to instill a sense of awareness, discovery and empathy through sketching and watercolor painting. During our time in Haiti, each student worked at these skills and found that it truly helped them to understand the place and the people as well as the objects and scenes they were observing. In addition to sketching, students were also asked to keep a written journal during our trip. These journals, including both structured and unstructured writing and sketching, provided students another way to document their travels, and to reflect on their experiences. Specific documentation techniques and structured activities were extremely important while the group was in Petite-Rivière-de-Nippes. With only six days to develop an understanding of the community and identify and understand projects that might facilitate social and physical change and development, it was essential for students to document the conditions and understand them. Through sketching and watercolor painting students gained a sense of the place. To understand the physical condition of the town, students broke themselves into teams and documented the town on foot. By hand drawing maps to locate and categorize buildings they gained an understanding of the physical tapestry of the town. In addition to this, our group met with local engineers, pastors, and the mayor to learn what they felt was needed. While walking through the town, we also spoke with the citizens themselves to hear their stories and opinions.
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