ART OF THE MATTER

Horses' heads on human bodies and masks of faces silently screaming are just some of the thought provoking artworks produced by senior students at St Christopher's School which go on display this weekend.

Art '09 includes paintings, installation work, sculpture, mixed media and relief work created by over 40 art students as course work and exam pieces. General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) students explored the theme 'I, Me, Mine', the Year 12 Advanced Subsidiary (AS Level) students creatively investigated the concept of 'Sanctuary' while Year 13 A-Level students looked at the theme of 'Discord'.

Satisfied by the quality of work produced by her students, head of art, Clare Hunt, said that for the students involved, the exhibition is an end of an artistic journey of developing techniques, processes and conceptual awareness.

She added: "There is nothing called right or wrong in art but you can tell when there is good quality. This year there has been a stronger emphasis on oil painting and the themes have been more subtle and they are not as obvious.

"I like some of the quality and craftsmanship behind the works. Students have become more interested in using new media.

"For the A-level coursework students had to produce a 3,000 word study from the standpoint of an artist and on a subject matter of their choice. GCSE students represent two-year study. In the first year of GCSE they make a lot of mistakes, learn what they are good at and what their interests are and develop it in the second year.

"It is really about establishing independence, structuring your time, developing and managing a project from scratch and thinking in unusual ways. Students sometimes start at a very simple point and build on it or do the opposite and take a complex work and then start to focus on the basics.

"They all have a clear idea of their strengths and their weaknesses and their passions and are able to converse and discuss ideas at an intellectual level as well."

Some of the interesting pieces in the exhibition include Laura Purdie's rendition of control. Using puppetry to emphasise her point she has created paintings of self regulation among young girls who accept social limits as they grow older.

Zaliqa Rosli from Year 11 looks at how older people submit to childhood interests and behave like children to have a sense of freedom and abandon.

Conveying the idea of social expression and discontent is Omran Saeed from Year 11, who takes inspiration from secret graffiti artist, Banksy, who uses city walls to communicate an anti-authoritarian message. Omran's rendition includes abstract scenes with an element of aggression which have people running or moving and throwing objects.

Personal responses have come from some students of African origin who have looked at childhood memories of growing up in their homelands and compared them to the present. Another interesting study looks at the similarities between Bahrain and African animal life.

Year 11 student Fay Fulad's canvas shows beautifully painted hands to represent how body parts are unconsciously used as an intimate form of expression such as friendship, intimacy and tenderness.

Unravelling discord through noise is A-level student Jason Legg. He portrays muffled screams from mutilated faces sculpted out of plaster of Paris. Jason, 18, who is taking up nursing at Oakland University of Technology, New Zealand, said: "I looked at noise and worked on creating the emotion of someone screaming and how you can feel their suffering from the way their faces look. It is quite the opposite of science and has helped me to look at things differently in a more creative and more innovative way."

One installation in the exhibition comes from A-Level student Christina Lunn, 18, who looks at discord in language. She said: "I am interested in the idea of language and how many phrases have two meanings. I have given literal meanings to old chairs, chair arms, table legs, a chest of drawers and the face of a clock. These have been created from strips of tissue paper in white to give a minimalist look."

Interesting course work was produced by A-Level student Meriem Yahia Cherif, who examines how mythical creatures fuse the qualities of animals and humans.

She has painted on cloth to give an impression of wall hangings as opposed to paintings on canvases.

At AS level, Randa Mujahed, has fashioned abstract and semi architectural facades of buildings and windows as seen at different times of the day through her paintings. Her colleague Grace Etches studies abuse by looking at apparently perfect and beautiful girls who destroy their bodies from the inside through smoking, junk food, drugs and alcohol.

These and many other interesting and exciting works are part of an exhibition which will be opened tomorrow evening by the British Ambassador, Jamie Bowden, and will be open to the public from June 2 to June 10 from 8am to 2pm. Contact the school on 17788101 to pre-arrange a visit.