All go in Art and D.T

This half term Year 7’s Art work has linked to their topic in History of the Norman Conquest. They have studied basic embroidery skills inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry and are now moving onto a Design Technology project. Year 7 are taking their learning of King William of Normandy’s ambition to cover England in a network of Motte and Bailey castles and are building their own. Working together they are using recycled materials to make accurate model versions of these unique castles complete with palisades, moats and keeps. We look forward to sharing the finished products with you in the coming weeks.

In English Year 8 have been reading a Korean Folktale called ‘When you Trap a Tiger’. This has become a stimulus for their Art work. We have explored traditional Korean paintings looking at the key themes that run through them such as waves, blossoms and mountains and then look at examples of contemporary Korean artists who use the same themes but in more abstract ways. These have inspired the children to create their own contemporary pieces of Korean artwork through the medium of watercolour and paint. The Year 8’s have also studied the Korean Goryeo Dynasty which was famous for the design of pottery. We visited the Nanyuki Ceramic Self-Help Group’s pottery workshop where the Year 8’s moulded their own pieces of pottery. They were able to see the steps to manufacturing pottery including a tour of the kilns. We will be going back next week so that children can paint their pieces which by then will have been fired. I’m sure you will agree from looking at the photographs that we have some very talented ceramists among us.