On Monday, 26th February, we travelled down to London with a group of forty-four Design Technology, Art and Photography students for a fantastic two-day trip.
On the first day, Design Technology pupils visited the Design Museum, where they studied incredible products and processes such as the London Olympic torch and BIGREP’s giant 3D printer. The Art and Photography students visited the Saatchi Gallery, where they were able to view and gather inspiration from contemporary artwork in a wide variety of styles and forms, as well as the excellent “Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction” photographic exhibition, which featured large-scale photographs, murals, and film installations.
On the second day, our artists and photographers split up, with the Photography students visiting the Photographers’ Gallery, where they had the opportunity to travel back in time and experience photojournalism from the 1950s by the great British photographer Bert Hardy in his retrospective exhibition “Photojournalism in War and Peace.”
Our Art students headed to Tate Modern, where they explored the vast collection of contemporary, modern, and historical works on display, expanding their experience and interaction with works of art and finding inspiration for the development of their current and future projects.
The Design Technology pupils went to the Victoria & Albert Museum, which is an impressive venue, and they were particularly taken by the grandeur of the building. We concentrated our studies on two of the contemporary design galleries, where they focused their research on products that have made an impact on our lives, such as leading sustainable practices and developments in technology. Students were also impressed with the silver room, which included many impressive gold, silver, and jewelled crowns, shields, and ornaments. They also enjoyed visiting the Cast Courts, which feature many impressive reproductions, including Michelangelo’s David and Trajan’s Column from Rome.
All three groups then met up at Tate Modern in the afternoon, and we walked beside the Thames, along the Queen’s Walk from the gallery to Westminster Pier. Along the way, we saw the Millennium Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, and skateboarders in the Undercroft on the Southbank. We stopped at Gabriel’s Wharf, which has a nice mix of independent shops and food outlets. As we walked over Westminster Bridge, the sun was shining over the Houses of Parliament, and we were lucky enough to hear Big Ben pealing.
We were really proud of how well our students engaged with all of the visits and activities, and this was evidenced by several members of the public approaching us during the to say how impressed they were by the students’ behaviour.