19th October 2022
Pupils and staff from six local primary schools recently came together to work on a creative project based around their journey to school, led by the AmmA Centre.
The project was designed to incorporate the themes of shared education, transition and sense of place – linking to the Strule Shared Education Campus ethos of Broadening Horizons.
Fusing traditional craftsmanship with digital storytelling the AmmA team set out to create an enriched learning experience for schools to meet and work together, and support a culture of sharing.
Working with artist and designer Mary Murphy, pupils crafted a metal ‘footprint’, etched with their designs using a traditional salt-water etching technique, which was then used as a traditional printing press.
The etchings on each ‘footprint’ directly related to the pupil’s own perspective on their journeys to school. The pupils then took their creativity to the next level by capturing their stories digitally through sound, image and video.
The real art and the digital stories were blended together using QR codes, geo-location and augmented reality tools, bringing the artwork to life on digital devices and smartphones – effectively producing a digital time capsule.
All of the work was showcased at an exhibition at the end of June in Arvalee School, giving staff and pupils’ the opportunity to come together, view their own work and discover new perspectives.
Speaking at the event, Mary Murphy said:
Through this project the children were able to explore their sense of place and share their cultural curiosity. By pushing the boundaries of traditional art processes in to the world of digital technology the children created individual original pieces of art work reflecting their personal journeys to school. Due to the ‘hands on’ nature of this STEM project the children had ownership from the outset, rewarding them with an overwhelming sense of achievement and pride. I feel privileged to have been a part of their journey and to have worked with such inspirational children.
The art has been delivered to each school where it will be put on long-term display.
