Mohammad Al-Olabi (Syria, artist educator, Adham Ismail Centre, Damascus)
The British have practised artistic education over several generations: I was amazed at how many British school students go on educational visits to museums. Here we have some distinguished individual efforts but we don’t have the same institutional care. However I felt that we have a dry seed which nobody waters but it’s growing very fast.
Alexander Kohlhofer (UK, Creative Director, Soda)
I had the impression that, for the British, there were theoretical pressures to obey certain rules in education. The Syrian young people were quite prepared to talk about their art and what they feel while, here, kids seem to deliver to meet the expectations we have.
If the Syrians do use methodologies we might have used in the past that doesn’t necessarily mean we have evolved in the right way.
Sandra Archer (UK, teacher, Quintin Kynaston School, London)
We are working towards assessment objectives whereas the Syrians have a much more imaginative approach that I’m not used to using. All the teachers were artists and they had longer periods of time to work. I did question, is it better to have an artist as a teacher or not?
Sophie Higgs (UK, project manager, Tate Britain)
The Syrians felt that any use of images would influence the young people and they would only make poor copies of what the artist had created. They focus on teaching traditional techniques. If you want to use oil paint in Britain it’s difficult to find someone to teach you, whereas they felt it was essential because the real influence of the West was oil paint …
M. Jihad Taissan (Syria, artist educator, Adham Ismail Centre, Damascus)
The British see the idea in the painting, whereas we usually see the painting in terms of a surface and a shape. I have tried to learn how they interpret the painting and the meaning behind the shapes and colours. British teachers get into dialogue with students. We don’t often do this, we tell students what to do; they use discussion to get the students to generate ideas.
Laila Hourani (Syria, project manager, British Council, Syria)
Tate and other British institutions support artistic education whereas things in Syria are the result of improvisation and, in spite of this, it enables children to be imaginative, which is more creative.
Omar Haj-Kadour (Syria, artist educator, Adham Ismail Centre, Damascus)
In Syria we try to get the child to draw and to benefit from our guidance and notes. Unfortunately, parents want us to draw for their children and guide them to imitate our drawing. One cannot impose his style on any child or student. Any teacher will benefit because he is teaching and learning at the same time.
Reem Al-Khatib (Syria, Director, Adham Ismail Centre, Damascus)
In Syria particular artists are studied without reference to contemporary art. Our paintings reflect our dreams rather than reality. Art in Syria and methods of teaching art only provide the learner with artistic technique, but not with critical thinking.
Ela O’Shea (UK, project manager, British Council, London)
The British were trying to talk about concepts of identity and diversity, and the Syrians saw it as very restrictive, dogmatic and ideological. What struck me was their use of symbolism in art, using animals, floral symbols and patterns as their expression. They said they choose to work through illusion, the direct approach was very offensive for them.
Reem Al-Khatib (Syria, Director, Adham Ismail Centre, Damascus)
I discovered that Islam is very different in Syria and Britain; when you are in constant contact with something on a daily basis you do not even feel it; it combines social elements with all its habits and customs. British children of Islamic origins painted symbols such as the sword of Imam Ali, Allahu Akbar (God is Greater) or the flag of Serbia.
Sophie Higgs (UK, project manager, Tate Britain)
They said if they asked their students to make a symbol it would be related to the pop music they liked, or whether they like nature, or their personal interests. It reminds me how much more liberal Syria is than we think it is.
Laila Hourani (Syria, project manager, British Council, Syria)
Islam is only one of many influences on art in this part of the world. The British discovered that their common belief that Arab artists are not allowed to paint a human body is not the case. Both sides got rid of pre-formulated ideas on these subjects.
Mohammad Al-Olabi (Syria, artist educator, Adham Ismail Centre, Damascus)
Our children are very enthusiastic about the project; planting them in fertile earth they grow very quickly.
Henna Nadeem (UK, artist)
The Syrian young people blossomed in the workshop in November, they were so enthusiastic. With young people here there’s a slightly cool, blasé attitude.
Alex Kohlhofer (UK, digital designer, Soda)
There were so many open and outgoing women there; I didn’t expect that.
Sandra Archer (UK, teacher, Quintin Kynaston School, London)
Quite a lot of children in my school are Muslim. If you drive down the Edgware Road you’ll see there are women covered right up. I can guarantee you that every week I have a discussion with kids about Islam.
Henna Nadeem (UK, artist)
I grew up as a British Muslim, so for me it was a real eye-opener to be somewhere where Muslims are the majority …behaviour - dress, drinking - is much more liberal in Syria; just the way people talk about religion, people are happy to say ‘I’m not religious’, or ‘I am religious’.
I did think going as a Muslim that I’d have some inroad but it wasn’t the case, the language barrier was probably the thing that was keeping everybody apart.
Laila Hourani (Syria, project manager, British Council, Syria)
I am a Muslim by birth but my identity is immensely wider. I am first an Arab, then a Syrian born to Palestinian parents.
Mohammad Al-Olabi (Syria, artist educator, Adham Ismail Centre, Damascus)
We do not see Islam either here or in Britain, only manifestations of Islam. Equally, the manifestations of civilisation in Britain and Syria do not show complete civilisation.
Omar Haj-Kadour (Syria, artist educator, Adham Ismail Centre, Damascus)
If a person came from another planet and joined the British people, saw their habits, traditions and visions, he would feel that 90% of them are Muslims.
Ela O’Shea (UK, project manager, British Council, London)
I’m a Catholic and I was thinking about the Road to Damascus. Inside the Ummayad Mosque is like Hyde Park with people having picnics, naps, children playing, people praying, and there’s a spectacular shrine for John the Baptist. For them he’s a prophet and they’ve managed to incorporate that bit of Christian religion and be proud of it, …It’s a really powerful experience to see how you can combine the two. There it was, all the concepts of diversity and so on, we do tend to separate things.
