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Design For Life Project 09/10

Wednesday 23 June 2010

The Shipley Art Gallery worked with young people from Thomas Hepburn Community School in Gateshead, Heaton Manor School in Newcastle upon Tyne and with young people from the Action for Children projects Ear4U and St Anthony’s Children's House.

The young people involved worked with designers Dan Civico, Carolyn Handley and Tessa Holland. They created objects inspired by the design collections in Shipley’s Designs for Life gallery.

Students from Thomas Hepburn Community School and Heaton Manor School designed and created a collaborative light installation. Young people from the Action for Children groups created personalised bronze coins.

Thomas Hepburn Community School worked with designer Carolyn Handley to create ceramic light coverings. The ceramic forms were formed by moulding and biscuit firing clay and then each piece was glazed. Once dry each piece was fired again. Most of the lights were inspired by natural forms such as plants and sea life.

Students from Heaton Manor School were given a brief to design effective solutions to display the ceramic light forms. Students were involved in the design and construction of the tree including thinking about the practicalities of electronics and appearance of the finished piece.

Brandon, Thomas and Emily are three young people from Action for Children groups. The young people worked with artist Tessa Holland to design and create a personalised bronze coin. The group visited Davison Tyne Metals Ltd to experience the casting process. They then participated in the entire design and manufacturing process of carving, casting and hand-finishing their bronze coins.

Curriculum Links: Design and Technology, Art and Design, Creative and Media Diploma.

Quotes from students working on the project

I designed my light based on natural forms having looked at historical and contemporary lighting design at the gallery.

Natalie

I started off with a picture of a flower, I then took elements of the flower and created simple shapes that I thought related to the original image. I developed these images until they evolved into my final design. I had to develop my design in such a way that the shapes could be constructed into a light design. I needed to consider the size, shape and space for the light fitting.

Emily 

It [the project] has changed the way I look at design.

It has made me want to recycle.

Everything I look at reminds me of designing now.

It was great working with a designer to be creative with materials we would not usually use. A great experience.
 

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