Enjoying “Joiners”
Inspired by: David Hockney's Kasmin Los Angeles 28th March 1982
Students: 5th-8th grade (Gang Stage)
Time needed: (4) 35-minute class periods
Lesson Submitted by: Ali Drube , Luther College Elementary Education Student
Contact Info: Student: [email protected], Professor Lovelace: [email protected]
Goal:
Students will use just 20 photographs created on an iPad to create a photo collage in the style of
Hockney's "joiners" that establishes a sense of motion, while maintaining unity throughout.
Objectives:
Students will be able to define "joiners" and understand Hockney’s process of creating a portrait photo
collage.
Students will make a plan for their photography process by creating a sketch grid, and will work on
framing each shot according to their sketch plan.
Students will select 20 photos to include in their "joiner" photo collage and arrange them in a way that
shows motion but also creates a composition representing unity within the portrait photo collage.
Vocabulary:
"Joiner"- a term David Hockey created for his Polaroid photo collages. These photo collages represent a
unified portrait or scene, but make the viewer feel as though they are in motion.
Polaroid- an instant camera, invented in 1948 that self-developed its photos. Also refers to the
photograph the camera produces.
Portrait- a picture or photograph showing the likeness of a person (especially their face)
Grid- a network of uniformly spaced horizontal and vertical perpendicular lines
Unity- the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates a sense of
completeness
Materials:
24 iPads (1 iPad per/student or share between 2 students if needed)
Box of costumes (hats, scarves, funny glasses, shirts, skirts, etc.)
1 sheet of white 9x12 80 lb acid-free sketchbook paper per student
1-#2 yellow pencil per student
1 ruler per student
1 sheet of heavy weight 9x12 tag board (white) per student
1 glue stick per student
About the Artist:
David Hockney was born in England on July 9, 1937, and was always interested in art. From 1953 to 1957
he began his art career at Bradford School of Art, where he received traditional training in drawing from
life and produced many figure drawings, portraits and cityscapes. He then attended the Royal College of
Art in London. After graduating with a gold medal, Hockney sold out at his first solo exhibition, David
Hockney: Pictures with People, in 1963. He traveled to New York and met with artists such as Andy
Warhol and Dennis Hopper and then moved to Los Angeles, CA. Influenced by the landscape that
surrounded him, Hockney enjoyed painting images of the swimming pools, people and houses in L.A.
Later in his career, Hockney discovered the art of photo collages with Polaroid photos, or what he called
“joiners”. Hockney’s discovery came in the late 1970’s, when he compiled a collage of Polaroids for a
home he was painting. As his style shifted from painting to photo college, so did his use of materials. His
use of technology for art making has included the photocopier, fax machines, laser printers, and iPad
apps.
Title of Artwork, Date executed:
Kasmin Los Angeles 28th March 1982, was one of Hockney's "joiners", created from composite
Polaroid in 1982. Hockney discovered the art of these "joiners" in the late 1970s, when he compiled a
collage of Polaroids for a home he was painting. He realized that the photo collage made the viewer feel
like they were in motion. He also felt that by taking a series of shots from different angles, his "joiners"
showed the passing in time through still images. This particular "joiner" is a portrait of Hockney's friend
John Kasmin. Kasmin was a British art dealer and gallery owner, and he often featured Hockney's work
in his galleries.
Motivation (20 minutes):
Introduce to the students that today they would be learning about a British artist named David
Hockney. Explain how after art school in London, David Hockney moved to Los Angeles, California and
his subject matter reflected the landscape around him. Pull up the slides with his swimming pool
paintings. Introduce the image of Kasmin Los Angeles 28th March 1982 letting them observe the
artwork for about 30 seconds. Lead them through the 4-step process of active looking and discussion
(Describe, Analyze, Interpret, Decide) by asking these questions:

What do you see? What materials do you think David Hockney used to make this artwork?
What are the colors like? How is this similar or different to Hockney's other works of art we have
seen? How is this similar or different from a photograph that you might take at home? How
does this picture make you feel?
Tell students that in the early 1980s, David Hockney "accidently" discovered a new way to make art. He
was taking Polaroid photos of a Los Angeles house that he wanted to paint, and when he put all of his
individual Polaroid together, he realized they made a sort of collage. He liked the way the photo collage
looked, so he started making more of them. David Hockney named these photo collages "joiners". Ask
Students if they have heard of a Polaroid camera. If not, explain how a Polaroid works. Show the
website of Hockney's "joiners" and explain that he used not only people, but also places as the subject
of his artwork. Discuss portraiture. Explain to students that this "joiner" is a portrait of Hockney's friend
Kasmin. Share with the group that Hockney's artwork often included portraits of his friends, family and
other people who were important to him.
Transitional Sentence: Like David Hockney, many of us have friends in this class that are important to
us. Using Hockney's "joiners" as inspiration, we are going to create our own portrait photo collages of
each other using the camera app on the iPad.
Activity:
Day 1 (20+ minutes)
After the motivational set, continue to look at Kasmin Los Angeles 28th March 1982. Explain that David
Hockney wanted to give the illusion of motion through his "joiners". Then introduce the idea of unity.
Ask the following questions while looking at the artwork:

Where have you heard the word 'unity' before? What could unity mean in an artwork? Unity
means that there is harmony between all the pieces, and it makes sense together. Does
Hockney's work have unity? Why or why not? How can you tell?
Explain to the students that they will be working with a partner to create a photo collage similar to
Hockney's "joiners". They will each get to use 20 small photographs, no more and no less, to create
their larger collage. Discuss how each student can assure that when the photographs are joined
together he/she will have a collage that feels unified. Explain the process of creating a general plan for
which photographs to take using grids.
Teacher Demonstration using grid to plan out photo collage.
1. Explain one partner (subject) sits or stands in the position the other student (artist) wants them
to occupy for the portrait.
2. The artist completes a simple sketch of what you see. Remember, no details are necessary, just
capture the general shapes you see and the outline of the person’s body.
3. Next, a grid is created over the sketch. First a ruler is used to make a rectangular boarder around
the sketch. This rectangular boarder will end up representing the general outline of your photo
collage. Teacher should point out the boarder around Kasmin. Then draw 3 evenly spaced
vertical lines and 4 evenly spaced horizontal lines, across the paper using your ruler to keep
them straight. We now have a grid that is 4 boxes wide and 5 boxes tall (20 boxes total). This
grid will serve as a reference for which photographs should be taken.
4. Choose a box within the grid and frame that photograph with the iPad camera.
Give students 30 seconds to find a partner and stand with them and review the concepts of the day.

What are three facts about David Hockney? What is a 'joiner"? How did Hockney show unity in
his collages? How can sketch grids help you plan out your portrait?
Day 2 (30 +minutes)
There should be step-by-step instructions on the board of what to do for the day, in case students
forget. (1. Gather Materials 2. Artist #1 creates a sketch grid 3. Artist #1 takes their photographs 3. Artist
#1 saves 20 photographs in a folder)
Ask students to decide which partner will go first as the “artist”. Each artist will go over to the
costume box and choose 1-3 props for their partner to wear, then choose where to have the “subject”
sit or stand and pick a comfortable pose for him/her. The "subject" partner will pick up piece of sketch
paper, a pencil and an iPad at the same time. The "artist" will then make their sketch and their grid, and
begin taking their photographs with the iPad. They may take more than 20, but they will have to choose
20 in the end and put the 20 they want in a folder with their name on it. (May need to review or do a
mini lesson on how to take a picture with the iPad). Tell students to get as much done as they can. The
goal is for Artist #1 to have their 20 photos saved by the end of the class.
*If Artist #1 has not finished yet, the partners will leave their furniture as is, write their names and iPad
number on a piece of paper, fold the costumes into a neat pile at the back of the room and put their
name paper on top of it, and return the iPads to the front of the room.
As students line up to leave the art room, ask a few questions of the students to process what was done
for the day.

Who was the artist we learned about today? What is a "joiner"? What did you like the most
about this activity? What was the most challenging part? What do you have yet to do
tomorrow?
Day 3 (30+ minutes)
Remind the students of David Hockney and his “joiners”. Review the concept of unity.
Let students know that they have a lot to get done today, and that they will have 30 minutes to do it.
Artist #1 must finish choosing their 20 photos, and then they will switch roles and Artist #2 will pick a
costume and a pose for their partner, do a sketch grid, and take their 20 photos.
Day 4/5 (25+ minutes)
Before class, download each student’s photos and print them off in color. Each individual photo should
be no bigger than 2 inches tall or wide.
When students arrive, review Hockney and “joiners”.
Explain that the students will now be cutting out their photographs and gluing them to tag board to
create their photo collages.
Pull up the "joiners" website one more time to show students several different ways they can arrange
their photographs. Ask students to recall how Hockney’s “joiners” exhibit unity but also movement and
to keep this in mind as they are arranging their final compositions. Encourage them to arrange their
photographs in several different ways before deciding on an arrangement. Then they can glue down
their final products.
Walk around as students are working and encourage them to use their sketch grids as reference if they
can't figure out where to place each photo. Ask them the following questions:

How does your collage show unity? How does your collage exhibit movement? If you could
change one thing, what would you change? How could you rearrange the position of your
photographs to provide more movement or unity?
After students are finished and have cleaned up their workspace, they should find their partners from
the previous day, and sit with them and their finished product.
Closure (10 minutes):
Partners will find another pair and share their finished projects with each other. They will share
what their favorite part of the activity was, and the part they found most challenging. Then,
within the groups of four, each person will share what they like best about each "joiner".
This project fulfills the following National Visual Art Standards:
Visual Arts:
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3 a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 4c
Suggested Related Activities
-Students paint portraits of each other using acrylic paint, and focusing on one specific feature (eyes,
mouth, nose, hair, etc)
-Cindy Sherman self-portraits (students use photography and costuming to arrange themselves in their own portrait, while another student captures the photo)
-Material-based self-portraits (students use found materials that represent themselves to create a selfportrait)
Cross-Curricular Connections:
Math- grids and multiplication (4 and 5 are both factors of 20)
History- students could research the history of portraiture in another class, or if there was extra time.
Language Arts- students could do an activity where they choose one of David Hockney's "joiners" and
write a paragraph describing the person in the picture (what are they doing, what are thinking/feeling,
what sorts of things are meaningful to them)
Bibliography:
Websites about David Hockney:
http://www.davidhockney.com/bio.shtml
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/david-hockney-1293
http://www.biography.com/people/david-hockney-9340738
http://5election.com/2010/09/05/david-hockneys-joiners/
Hockney, David
Kasmin Los Angeles 28th March 1982
1982
Composite Polaroid
41 3/4 x 29 3/4 in (106 x 75.6 cm)