School of Curiosity

School of Curiosity

School of Curiosity

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Cornovii Edwards brings life to bronze

March 5, 2015

The School of Curiosity Summer School artist in residence this year will be Cornovii Edwards. He is the renowned sculptor behind many famous artworks and monuments, including the Frederick Douglass statue presented to Barack Obama, the Muhammed Ali statue and the one featured in our picture entitled All Together Now, featuring German and British Officers marking  the Christmas Truce of World War Two.

According to Cornovii, great statues have to be embedded with seven different layers of meaning, so even before you touch any clay you have to build and deeply empathise with the story. His stories are just as spectacular as his artworks.

We will be doing some hands-on work with Cornovii using our pottery and kiln, woodworking shop and maybe a bit of stonework, The purpose? So that we can create a seven layered story of our own lives.

Don’t worry aprons will be provided. All you have to do is to book your place for the summer school on 28th, 29th and 30th May which you can do here http://bit.ly/1C3R1mu

Kettle & toaster salesman joins faculty

March 4, 2015

 

Yes you read that right. Adam Walker was quite a good salesman specialising in kettles and toasters. So why, you might ask, is he coming to The School of Curiosity?

Well, psychologists reckon that you expand your curiosity quotient by embracing new ideas and getting out of your comfort zone. That’s just what Adam did. After watching an in-flight movie about a man who swam the English channel, he realised that his epitaph was likely to be ‘Here lies Adam. Quite good at selling kettles and toasters’. So with no real swimming expertise, he decided to get out of his comfort zone and do the channel swim. His first attempt lasted just 45 minutes before he became seriously hypothermic.

When he did eventually complete the swim, his whole outlook on life changed and he wondered what he should do next. He has now completed the Oceans 7, the seven most challenging channel swims in the world and nothing can drag him back into his comfort zone. That’s a great loss to the world of kettle and toaster sales, but a great gain for us as Adam uses his story to help each of us edge out of our comfort zones. Maybe our lives will never be the same again after three days and three nights of summer school. You can book here http://bit.ly/1C3R1mu

Private Eye cartoonist joins the faculty

March 3, 2015

We always thought that the 2015 Summer School was going to be a lot of fun. Now we know for sure that there are going to be a lot of laughs as award winning cartoonist Tony Husband joins The School of Curiosity Faculty.

Tony was the cartoonist for Private Eye, one of the world’s great satirical magazines, for whom he produced YOBS, a cartoon strip depicting the British way of life, winning the Pont Award. As well as producing cartoons for The Times, The Spectator, Punch, Playboy, The Sunday Express and The Sun, Tony co-devised and edited Oink!, a popular children’s comic. This resulted in a TV spin off called Round the Bend. For the theatre he co-wrote the play Save the Human and regularly performs with poet Ian Macmillan with their show A Cartoon History of Here.

In addition he has published more than fifty books. His latest Take Care Son tells of his fathers decline into dementia and is receiving critical acclaim.

Tony will look at the role of humour in our lives and how we can use it to deal with even our most challenging situations. You will also get the chance to draw a bit and be funny.

If we are really nice to him, Tony will document the things that happen throughout the three days and nights at Summer School, which by the way, are 28th, 29th and 30th May. Don’t leave it too late. Book here http://bit.ly/1C3R1mu

 

 

The 2015 Summer School is coming…

March 2, 2015

The famous Lygon Arms in Broadway

Stanton Guildhouse, Broadway, England 28th, 29th, 30th May 2015

It’s pretty hard to beat the stunning views from our 2013 classroom in Villefranche-sur-Mer, but if you have ever been to the English Cotswold’s you will know that it can be possible.

The Stanton Guildhouse is set in an elevated position in the hamlet of Stanton, close to Broadway, one of the most beautiful villages in Britain. From the grounds of The Guildhouse you can see for ten miles across open countryside, look down towards the hamlet’s honeyed thatched cottages and stroll next door to a truly English country pub. As settings go this one is hard to beat.

This year we have assembled another truly amazing faculty, and with the range of facilities we have at The Guildhouse, there will be an even greater emphasis on doing, connecting and creating.

Details of the programme are being released this week, bit by bit, but don’t waste any time, book you place now here http://bit.ly/1C3R1mu

Then there was one

October 22, 2013

This is the entrance to La Citadelle in Villefranche-sur-Mer. We went their yesterday to look at the art studio for The School of Curiosity “End of Summer School’. When we got back we had sold more tickets. Now theres only ONE left!

It’s tomorrow. Be quick. Here’s the booking page.

Hav a curious day!

 

Last four tickets

October 16, 2013

That’s right! There are just four tickets left for The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’ Villefranche-sur-Mer 23-25 October. You can find lots of stuff about it on this site, but the only real way is to experience it for yourself.

Here’s the link to the booking page. You’re going to be soooooo annoyed at yourself if you miss it.

Have a curious day!

Parlez-vous petanque?

October 11, 2013

We were going to say “It’s not all fun and games at The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’”. But thinking about it every session looks like it will be fun and enthralling, so we’ve had to think hard how we can make our evening social events fit the bill.

Maria, who runs The Villefranche Petanque and Social Club (a bit like The Buena Vista Social Club but with boules instead of musical instruments) has invited us over one night. She’s putting on sangria and the Nicoise specialty of Pissaladiere. We’ll have an international petanque tournament in between drinks.

The great thing about petanque is that it takes moments to learn, it’s a team game and everyone somehow seems to be capable of producing a world class shot at least once. By the end of the night, you have a social club full of friends.

There are just ten tickets left. There wont be for long. Download the prospectus here. Or just go directly to the booking page here.

It doesn’t matter what language you speak, petanque is so simple we know you’ll love to parlez-vous petanque.

Have a curious day!

Do the Pecha Kucha

October 10, 2013

 

Our first night at The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’ will be a Pecha Kucha night at our L’X Common Room & Art Studio (Also our drinking hole).

Pecha Kucha started in a disused factory in Japan where young designers came to showcase their new ideas. They always ran out of time, so they made a rule. You can show 20 images and speak for only 20 seconds about each image. It’s become a world wide craze and some competitive events attract over 1000 people. The winner is the person adjudged to have entertained and informed with great imagery. It’s great fun, nobody speaks for more than six minutes and their goal is to enthral and captivate you. Oh and the rules say there has to be a ‘beer break’ half way through…which we think is a jolly good rule.

We are having six ‘competitors’. There’s still time to step forward with your subject…the more curious, the better. Though first, make sure that you have booked your ticket - Only ten tickets left! 23-25 October, Villefranche-sur-Mer.

You can download the full prospectus here. But whilst you are doing that somebody could be taking your ticket, so the booking page is here.

Don’t dither when you can Pecha Kucha.

Have a curious day!

A tale of twelve tickets

October 9, 2013

Just in case you haven’t noticed there are only twelve tickets left for The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’. Yes just twelve. Already we have people coming from 12 different countries. The mix is amazing. Where else would you find in the same room an astrologer and a research scientist; a teacher and an entrepreneur; a poet and a public sector boss? Oh and by the way they will be in what is probably the most beautiful classroom in the world!

Who knows who will buy the next twelve tickets? It’s 23-25 October, Villefranche-sur-Mer. The prospectus is here. And you can book your tickets here.

Are you coming?

Have a curious day!

The professor with the ponytail

October 9, 2013

 

It’s been touch and go, but now it’s definite (Well as ‘definitite’ as anything can be…this is the South of France, there are a lot of distractions), the professor with the ponytail, Julien Cassagne is heading for The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’, 23-25 October, Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Julien is known by thousands of people who have attended the world renown Institute de Francais as someone who is ‘Surely too cool to be a professor’. It’s not just the ponytail, his passion for all things French is contagious, he’s a talented musician and he has a ‘bit of the British’ in his sense of humour.

He’s going to help us to round off the days with fun and informative sessions about aspects of French culture. So if you don’t know your Alsace from your Epoisses what are you waiting for? The full prospectus can be downloaded here. Or you can go straight to the booking page and get your tickets here.

A bientot.

Have a curious day!

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