Foundation Magazine 2021-2022 | Mount Kelly

PERFORMING & CREATIVE ARTS
ART & PHOTOGRAPHY
AT THE COLLEGE
On returning to our Art studios
in the Summer of 2021, it was
obvious to see how much the
pupils had missed the opportunity to
really explore materials and mediums
without the fear of having to take things
home or scale down their ideas.
As an advocate of large-scale installation,
I was thrilled to see A Level Art pupils
plan for the creation of large sci-fi models
and Covid-19 related plaster body
casts. A period in isolation had certainly
manifested a desire to explore art themes
without trepidation.
As a result, we have been able to exhibit
a thought-provoking response to the
pandemic in the form of Johnny Tsang’s
medicine cupboard and faceless figure;
Luca Tsai’s fictional 2-metre-tall space
worm is worthy of a cameo in a Dr Who
episode, while Polly Parr Ferris’s response
to Paula Rego reflected her growing
confidence and a renewed interest in
figurative art.
The A Level Photographers also reached
deep into their creative reservoirs to
produce a range of exciting photographic
portfolios from Contemporary Vanitas to
Monochromatic, emotion-filled imagery.
Mya Azzarpardi’s portfolio grew over
time to capture some incredibly wellexecuted
shots of people, places, and
oranges! Polly Parr Ferris’s images of
family capture those moments best seen
when the audience is not aware of the
camera. Samara Chaudhry explored
her environment and the locations she
visited throughout her A Level years;
with growing compositional skills, she
created some stunning outcomes.
Isobel Gargett’s slow motion water shots
beautifully capture nature at its best.
The GCSE Art pupils (Year 11) returned
with the same agenda. They were all
eager to create a range of imaginative
and unique outcomes to cement their
portfolio work. Ruth Perry’s incredible
tin tower of Babel not only commanded
most of our studio space but also
provided many a start when it collapsed
in the gallery echo chamber. Stepping
outside of the sketchbook comfort zone
seemed to be contagious as others
began to think more imaginatively. We
saw an installation based on Monet’s
waterlilies span the leat outside of the Art
Department care of Giada Dudley-Pun,
and an enormous fuzzy felt board covered
in topical characters like Boris Johnson
and President Zelensky courtesy of Erin
Little.
The completion of our Fairground
‘Covid-19 inspired’ Games offered up the
opportunity for public participation when
it came to the exhibition opening night
with our own Head Master attempting
to kick the ball through the head: a
considered piece by Francisco Assalone
commenting on the connection with
dementia in our footballers. Inside, people
were trying out the hoopla and its loseevery-time
aspect, commenting on the
increase in gambling over the lockdown
period, by Anna Mokhovik. Others threw
balls to knock out teeth in Reenie So’s
fairground game commenting on the
difficulty people were having finding a
dentist.
Other visual delights included Chloe
Bersey’s coloured pencil drawing of
her beloved dog, Daniela Brown’s
incredibly large ink-drawn Rhinoceros,
Mia Crookall’s Day of the Dead
decorated skull, Shannon Byrne’s life
size amalgamation of family x-rays and
anatomical studies, Kate Gray’s emotive
sister triptych, Tony Tang’s self-portrait
collage, Cherry Lau’s painted headless
horseman and Nika Rost’s homage to
her Grandfather, a charcoal drawing
reminiscent of his historic photographs.
Our enthusiastic Year 9 pupils explored
many artists and their artwork from
across the globe. The genre which had
the biggest impact, unsurprisingly, was
Street Art. We looked at the work of Blek
le Rat, Banksy’s inspiration. We discussed
the meaning behind Banksy’s artwork
and the impact it has had on society.
The West Bank Wall, Dismay Land and
other pop-up artwork supporting poor
and rundown communities. We talked
through the wide range of street art one
could see in Bristol and many of Year 9
got to experience spray painting in Bristol
at the Where the Wall Street art spray
sessions on this year’s LOTC. We ended
the Year 9 Art studio experience with a
project celebrating the Queen’s Platinum
jubilee. Each pupil drawing their own
portrait of the Queen and turning this into
a stencil which they then spray painted
onto wood.
Year 10 began their GCSE journey with
a visit to the Eden Project. Fantastic
weather and wonderful surroundings
provided the starting point for an
explorative botanical project: sketching
inside the Mediterranean and Rainforest
Biomes before walking around the site
documenting the indigenous plants
and scenery. Matching the experiences
there with the plants found in the Head
Master’s own garden helped to inform
a large observational drawing study
sheet. This project laid the foundation
for the others that followed: paintings,
sketches, models, clay work, textiles and
installation all taking shape in readiness
to support coursework portfolios. With a
penultimate project sparked by a trip to
London in the Michaelmas Term, pupils
should have a full range of evidence to
submit in the summer of 2023.
PERFORMING & CREATIVE ARTS
106 | THE FOUNDATION 21-22 THE FOUNDATION 21-22 | 107
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