Adelita Husni-Bey's 'Postcards from the Desert Island' and the Defence of Skhole
The essay by Julia Morandeira Arrizabalaga explores Adelita Husni-Bey's film 'Postcards from the Desert Island', created in 2010–11. It captures a three-week workshop held at École Vitruve in Paris, where children between the ages of seven and eleven imagine life on a deserted island. Established in the early 1960s by Robert Gloton, this institution is aligned with the progressive Éducation Nouvelle movement. The initiative, inspired by 'Lord of the Flies' and 'Holiday from Rules?', investigates governance and societal structures, culminating in a protest chant and discussions about abolishing town halls. Initially presented in Husni-Bey's 2012–13 exhibition 'Playing Truant', the essay situates the work within the context of global educational protests following 2008, critiques online education during the Covid-19 pandemic, and supports the concept of a 'pro-school school'.
Key facts
- Adelita Husni-Bey created 'Postcards from the Desert Island' in 2010–11.
- The film documents a three-week undirected workshop at École Vitruve in Paris with children aged seven to eleven.
- École Vitruve was founded in the early 1960s by Robert Gloton, a key figure of Éducation Nouvelle.
- The experiment draws from William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' (1954) and the film 'Holiday from Rules?' (1958).
- The children's society culminates in a protest chant 'Pas de roi! On veut être libres!' and a debate on abolishing the town hall.
- The work was first shown in Husni-Bey's solo exhibition 'Playing Truant' at Gasworks, London (2012–13).
- The exhibition also included 'The Living House' (2012) and 'Policy. Benchmark. Criteria' (2012).
- The essay was published on 2 July 2020 by Afterall, originally part of ArtSchool 2020 in partnership with Central Saint Martins and Museu de Arte de São Paulo.
Entities
Artists
- Adelita Husni-Bey
- Julia Morandeira Arrizabalaga
- Robert Gloton
- William Golding
- Augusto Boal
- Ivan Illich
- Paulo Freire
- Francisco Ferrer i Guàrdia
- Friedrich Fröbel
- John Dewey
- Maria Montessori
- Rudolf Steiner
- Bruno Latour
- Ruth Wilson Gilmore
- Nishant Shah
- Maarten Simons
- Jan Masschelein
- Pascal Gielen
- Paul De Bruyne
- Noliwe Rooks
- William H. Murray
- Anne Hjort Guttu
Institutions
- École Vitruve
- Éducation Nouvelle
- Gasworks
- Central Saint Martins
- Museu de Arte de São Paulo
- Afterall
- Escuela Moderna
- Modern School
- Ferrer Commune
- Radical Education Network
- Kadist
- Haymarket Books
- The New York Times
- Tecnológico Monterrey
- University of California
- Artez Studium Generale
Locations
- Paris
- France
- London
- United Kingdom
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Stelton
- New Jersey
- United States
- Dublin
- Ireland
- Wales
- Chile
- Colombia
- São Paulo
- Brazil
Sources
- Afterall —