WAXING LYRICAL

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director

Images: Fiona Goodwin

Beautiful patterns created by children's experiments with wax heating and cooling, as part of their project exploring the science curriculum topic 'Changes and Properties of Materials' - one of fourteen Art & Science projects just completed with primary and secondary schools in Batley for Change 2017.

 

Find out how Change brings together Visual Arts and STEM learning and enjoy dipping into each of this year's project stories here.

 

And watch this space for full details of the upcoming exhibition - opens at Batley Art Gallery on 1st July.

 

"Take science, mix it with art and you get fun"  Year 5 pupil, Fieldhead Primary

WISH YOU WERE HERE

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director

 

Blown away by the quality of the street art in Havana, and even more so by how well cared for it is.  This super-sized mural - glimpsed through railings while ambling down an unprepossessing street - flanks a concrete football pitch in a distinctly run-down part of town, well used every day by lads playing footie and school children taking part in local games tournaments.  And - apart from the scuffs caused by the constant thwack of balls - not a mark on it.  No idea how it came to be there or who the artist is - clues anyone?

A FESTIVE WISH

A BACKWARDS GLANCE

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director



Photo: Porl Medlock

From wild wolves to terraced houses, seven crosses to smoking chimneys, the end of a street to new homes and new connections... Come on a journey through the stories of St Mary's, told in a performance, songs, a film and five carved stones.

 

Projects come and go, but some dates stick in the mind for the significant moment they are attached to.  26th October is one of those.  Two years ago today, right now in the hours leading up to 5.30pm, our Cornerstones project team - Lucy, Adam, Dan, Chris, me - and several helpers were on the final dash towards the project's finale. In the chilly October wind we wrapped, tied, cabled, tested, litter-picked, rehearsed and cross-checked, breaking off only to remind passers-by about the start time and urge the ever-present, ever-enthusiastic hordes of kids to make sure they brought their mums, dads, friends and neighbours back at the appointed time.  Over the past several months, as we'd explored the history of the Poppy Road site (location for a brand new housing development) and surrounding streets, gathered family stories, run design and photography workshops and sought contributors for a community performance, enlisting the willing participation of youngsters had been a pretty straightforward challenge.  Drawing in the grown-ups had been somewhat more taxing - a phrase containing the words 'teeth' and 'pulling' springs to mind, in fact.  This evening would be a test of how well we'd built the relationships, become accepted as a bunch of outsiders, and spread the messages about what the project was all for.  And it would prove whether, in the weeks running up to the event itself, we had captured people's imaginations and pricked their curiosity enough to compete with a cosy Sunday evening's TV viewing. The carved stone seats had been in position for several days and had already been seen and sat on by many, so their unveiling was to be purely a matter of ceremonial ritual, but the content of the film and performance was known only to those who had been involved in putting them together - they needed a receptive audience to turn them into a community celebration of St Mary's past, present and future.

 

It's a great feeling when an event plan comes together in a magical spectacle; even more so when people (of all ages!) turn out in significant numbers to watch, laugh, clap and mingle together in a way they normally don't.  It's great to be able to see, and feel, that connections have indeed been built through a process of painstaking creative engagement that felt at times as though it was floating right over people's heads but turns out to have been appropriately pitched for the time, place and circumstances; to know that some new seeds for the future have been sown; and to realise that people have somehow moved from a place of apprehension and disinterest to one of appreciation, enjoyment, participation and even ownership.  It's a great feeling - and the memory of the moment still makes me tingle.

POSTCARD FROM OTTERLO

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director



Window or Wall Sign - Bruce Nauman,1967.  Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands

www.krollermuller.nl

Discuss...

CHANGE EXHIBITION NOW OPEN

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director


Photo: Shelley Burgoyne

Change 2016
Exploring Science and Technology through Art

Until 3rd September daily except Sundays
Batley Art Gallery, Market Place, Batley WF17 5DA

www.changeproject.co.uk

See our February and April blog posts for the background.


Great comments from Private View guests to add to the feedback from teachers already received:

"Clearly a lot of effort and talent has been harnessed.  Truly inspiring how this public space has been used to display community art and make it available to the wider community."

"Cross-curricular work like this can sometimes lead to superficial science and low quality art.  You have managed to do impressive science/technology and some lovely artwork which genuinely complement each other."

"Fantastic, fabulous to see all this inspiring work.  Made me very proud to have been involved."

"Lovely fusion of thoughts and colour!"

"Excellent, well displayed work."

"Fantastic displays from all schools.  Lovely to see!"

"Fabulous collection of quality art and science work.  Hundreds of very worthwhile hours spent by all involved."

CHANGE 2016 - THE EXHIBITION

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director

Petri dish studies on handmade paper    Shelley Burgoyne with Upper Batley High School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change 2016
Exploring Science and Technology through Art

Batley Art Gallery, Market Place, Batley WF17 5DA
23rd June - 3rd September daily except Sundays
www.changeproject.co.uk

The culmination of an eight-month project in 11 Batley schools (more info here and here). All welcome! Meanwhile, a sample of some of the fantastic feedback received from teachers about the workshops phase:

An excellent chance for pupils to see how subjects can influence and support each other

An amazing opportunity for our children to develop a new and creative way to think about science

There has been a huge progression in the children’s learning in Art which can also be transferred to other subject areas

I have been very encouraged to see the social and personal development in many pupils as a result of experiences this project has offered

Children have shown a deeper understanding about light and have been able to use key scientific vocabulary in relation to this topic

As a teacher I feel I can provide children with more innovative and exciting ways to teach electricity. I will feel more confident in making cross-curricular links when teaching science subjects

Children's confidence has definitely improved, and their ability to have a go without worrying what the outcome would be. Children experienced many different techniques that they had not had exposure to before

Children have shown they are eager to talk about what they have learnt in other areas of the curriculum and keen to share their experiences with other members of staff and children. In science lessons they relate what we are learning to the circuits they made in the sessions

Children have developed a more positive attitude to working in groups

Levels of understanding have increased and the children are more confident when using specific technical vocabulary about forces. They have been able to equate forces to real life situations

Children have improved levels of cooperation and are also more willing to explain what they have been working on to each other

The way our Year 7 group saw the workshops as a fun way to learn was particularly pleasing. Their feedback was a clear indication that they want to build upon that experience in the future

Children's participation and engagement increased over the four sessions, as did their inquisitiveness about science and scientists

I was very pleased with how valuable these session were to the science curriculum, children learnt things through this process, like words and meanings, that they would never get from teaching alone

It has certainly raised aspirations and widened future career choices