tow, we recorded all kinds of birds in the
grounds. The most exciting of these
included exquisite Mandarin ducks, hot
pink flamingos and shy Bewick's swans.
We not only learnt about wing structure
and the science behind a bird in flight, but
were also treated to a live wildfowl feeding
display, and a beautiful British sunset
before departing, and delicate taxidermy
exhibits to draw from. We were also joined
for the day by artist Lucy Large, who in
February was to deliver a workshop to
pupils. Lucy aims to harness the
inspiration students gained from the day
by helping them to produce wire sculptures
of birds seen and loved at Slimbridge.
The sculptures were to be abstract, and
based on individual designs. Having
studied birds since September, the 4th
form had the opportunity to finalise the
topic with real impact. After making initial
drawings of all the different parts of the
bird, they were then placed together and
sculpted using various thicknesses of
wire, mesh and fine wire thread. After a
break they then had to build the parts
together, and had the challenge of making
them stand! Problem-solving and
teamwork skills were developed! The
afternoon was a hive of creativity, pupils
producing four big wire sculptures which
will be spray-painted at a later stage to
enhance their shape and structure.
The sixth form artists were treated to two
major art shows on their trip to London in
February. It began at the Tate Modern
with a retrospective of the leading
contemporary Japanese artist Kusama.
Quirky and eccentric, she is best known
for her repetitive use of polka dots. The
show covered the development of her
artistic career, and ended with two
amazing installations of light, mirrors and
colour. Now in her 80s, she is still
obsessively painting, and this proved to be
a very thought-provoking exhibition.
Entry tickets to the David Hockney
exhibition at the Royal Academy were very
hard to come by, but our lucky sixth form
artists got in to see this important
exhibition by the major British artist. Much
hyped and reviewed in the press, the show
proved to be ambitious and vibrant. Pupils
were intrigued by Hockney's use of new
technology, including drawing on iPads and
filming simultaneously with 18 cameras. It
was impossible not to be impressed with
the quantity and scale of the work and the
artist's incredible creative drive.
In June, 4th form pupils participated in
workshops with Lucy Lean as part of
Somerset Art Works', 'Flight of the
Cranes'. This project was set up to
celebrate the reintroduction of cranes to
the Somerset Levels and moors.
"Throughout history cranes have been
such a positive symbol worldwide," said
Lucy Lean, "and this notion is symbolically
reflected in the paper crane. It has been a
privilege and inspiration to work creatively
with the community on this project,
teaching the art of origami to a variety of
age groups."
Our pupils created personalised paper
cranes by using photocopies of their own
self-portraits. Their cranes were stitched
together with hundreds of other origami
cranes created by Lucy, working with
schools and the community in Somerset.
These paper cranes were then stitched
together in diamond patterns creating a
patchwork effect. The beautiful paper
crane installation, 'Skinny Legs, Hats and
Rupert Bear', was then exhibited at
Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre
and subsequently during Somerset Art
Weeks 2012 at the Somerset Crafts
Centre in Westhay.
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