This half term, a group of our after-school artists headed to the HUB to take part in a very special workshop. Students used recycled plastic to create large floral lanterns that are currently on display illuminating Durham City at Lumiere, the festival of light.
Students worked with a visiting artist to fuse plastic together in large sheets. They created their own intricate patterns by cutting sections of plastic out and laying them on top of each other before sewing them together to create a range of petals.
Lights have been hung to create a chandelier effect and around 25 of these flowers line the streets leading away from the Cathedral. The piece is called Plastica Botanica and is displayed on South Bailey, outside St John’s College.
Students also contributed to a mini-city of illuminated buildings that takes up residence in College Green. ‘Home’ was their inspiration and Year 12's Libby created a fantastic three-tiered building for the piece. Year 7’s Kitty’s vocals were played along with other voices from around County Durham as part of the piece called 'City of Light, City of Stories'.
This week we were lucky enough take students to see their creations in real life! We were amazed at how impressive their work looked and it was lovely to see the looks on their faces when they recognised Kitty’s voice! The students loved watching the animations projected on the Cathedral and interacting with the various artworks around the city.
Special thanks go to Rachel and Alice at the HUB for inviting us to take part and organising the trip.
A special mention also goes to our Year 12 photography student, Matthew, who has been official event photographer!
A big thank you to all students involved: Abbie Birchall, Jay Teoh, Lily Walton, Libby Robinson, Poppy Shield, Meadow Shield, Matthew Hendry, Kitty Goldborough, Millie Crawford, Emily Hodgkinson, Florence Backes, Betty Porter, Amelia Robinson, Harry Callaghan, Amy Hobson, Lucie Hunt and Olivia Callaghan.