Great things can happen when you let students’ creativity run wild. This year at LAS Summer in Switzerland, our students were challenged to create something purposeful and meaningful in the campus garden. With such simple instructions, and the openness to truly let their imaginations run free, we were excited to see what our students would come up with.
The first question the students faced was what they could make in a short amount of time and with limited materials. The students considered the space and talked to year-round campus staff about the ways they could best make use of the garden space.
Drawing inspiration from their conversations with staff, and from installations they saw during camp excursions around Switzerland, the students decided to design their own installations with the aim of bringing interest and tourism to Leysin.
In the end the students ended up developing a sculpture called “The Leysin Girl”. The students created a figure out of wire, which they carefully body casted, then put together over a bamboo skeletal structure. The wire mesh was then filled with grass cut from the area and decorated with faux flowers bought from the local flower shop. The installation was positioned in a highly visible area to attract the attention of the passengers on the local cog train, in order to help garner their interest in the area.
Take a look at the group’s installation below! We think you’ll be just as impressed as we were!
