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International art project focuses on Thames
Posted: 14th November 2019An international art project saw young people connect with the River Thames.
Year 8 students from Royal Docks Academy took part in Rivers of the World, a project by the British Council teaching through environmental, economic and cultural themes.
Students from London worked with the same focus as those taking part in Ethiopia, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Sudan to give artistic representations of their local river.
Working with artist Shona Watt, students looked at plants and animals as well as pollution, encouraging them to explore local and global issues while considering how important rivers are to communities.
They produced sketches of their ideas before contributing to the main piece, including a large snaking eel out of foil and an embossed seahorse.
The work was exhibited at a launch event at The Crystal before going on tour around the country.
John O'Donnell, creative arts faculty leader, said: “The creative process the students experience provides for them opportunities to imagine the potential for art in their lives.
“Giving students the creative freedom to research and study the river and its various inhabitants allowed them to take complete ownership of their artwork, while learning and discovering new information about the river that flows through their city.
“The embossing technique was completely new to students and this, along with a Photoshop workshop, taught each of them new ways of creating artwork.
“The feedback from the class was overwhelmingly positive.”