146 Primary Prints – Creative Printmaking in the Classroom Anne Desmet

A&C Black 2010144 pagesmany colour illustrations£16.99PaperbackISBN 978-14081-1143-7

Primary Prints is a practical resource aimed at teachers and parents, working with groups of all ages and offers invaluable insights for experi-enced printmakers. During a period of four months, working with an artist in residence, chil-dren from the ages of 3 to 11 produced over 600 original multi-media prints, using mixing and layering techniques. The quality of these prints, illustrated throughout the book, is outstanding and portrays the message that teachers should never underestimate children’s abilities: the qual-ity, range and ambition of the children’s work far exceeded the author’s expectations and directly inspired her to produce this book.

Primary Prints includes plenty of tried and tested classroom examples. Each project carefully details the techniques used, as well as the organi-sational aspects of working with large groups. The easy-to-follow techniques will encourage more less-confident primary teachers to teach printing across the primary phase, whilst printing blocks, such as those made from toy bricks, offer innova-tive ideas and will greatly appeal to Foundation and Key Stage 1 primary stages. The techniques described throughout the book can be adapted for any theme and any age. Many of the ideas relate to the local environment/community and could there-fore be easily adapted to link to most themes stud-ied in the primary school curriculum.

The book is divided into useful sections detail-ing the required equipment and materials and effectively explains the quality of the printing inks and papers. Clear and precise, step-by-step instructions are included with informative trouble-shooting tips. An interesting section on display is also included, containing useful ideas and quick

display techniques – invaluable for a busy school environment.

Christine Jones St Michael in the Hamlet Primary School, Liverpool

Designing Things: A Critical Introduction to the Culture of ObjectsPrasad Boradkar

Berg 2010336 pagesB&W illustrations£19.99PaperbackISBN 978 1 84520 427 3

The book is an introduction to a theoretical discourse of objects and their design. It offers a comprehensive overview of critical theory and raises important questions about our under-standing of design and the production of objects. The book looks at the role of design in society, its impact on our lives and its significance in the production of culture. Through an analysis of the meaning of things it challenges the role of design-ers in both design and production. It also chal-lenges design education, it argues for a greater breadth and depth of study to include a much broader engagement with other disciplines.

The book introduces the reader to design theory and practice linking philosophy and visual culture, anthropology and material culture, media and cultural studies. The structure of the book allows a layering of understanding, in specialist elements of discourse, chapter by chapter. Each chapter leads the reader through the debate in a meaningful, relevant and well-articulated way, the coherence of which is never lost. Chapter 1 addresses theoretical modeling, building on criti-cal theory, structuralism, modernism and post-modernism, providing an understanding of objects as cultural tools. Prasad uses a wide range of philosophers and critical theorists enriching the understanding of interpretation. The book

Book Reviews

iJADE 30.1 (2011)© 2011 The Authors. iJADE © 2011 NSEAD/Blackwell Publishing Ltd