artists of the week!

It's the time of the week to be aesthetically inspired at UGS, when the Art, Craft and Design department announce their Artists of the Week; and it is our pleasure to share news that this week Year 9 have done us proud, and the following students have been selected by the Department as their Artists of the Week: Zunairah Y,  Isabel M, Elia K and Kairon T-M.

In fact, Head of Department Mrs Nanvazadeh shares that there has been so much excellent work produced this week that the department have compiled a montage of class work (lead image and below) in order to fully showcase Year 9 talent; the standard of work also made it very difficult to narrow down the nominations for Artists of the Week, as you will be able to see from these beautifully crafted designs.

Here Mrs Nanvazadeh provides the context for the work:

Eco Art - Unit Overview

Art has long been recognised as a powerful medium for self-expression and creativity. But beyond aesthetics, art can also serve a greater purpose - driving social and environmental change. Sustainable art, in particular, has emerged as a way to combine artistic expression with a commitment to ecological responsibility. Through this unit of work, we explore the potential of sustainable art in addressing global issues, the importance of eco-friendly materials, the impact of community-based art projects, and how artists can use their skills for advocacy. Through these insights, we hope to showcase the role that art can play in creating a more sustainable world.  

Taking inspiration from marine life, students learn how to create their own environmentally friendly collages from materials such as fabric remnants, magazines, discarded lottery tickets, old leaflets, plastic bags and used packaging. Exploring the work of Hugo McCloud, students learn about his investigation into plastic, that began while travelling in India, and seeing multi-colour polypropylene plastic sacks everywhere.

Observing the downcycle of these bags from their creation to the companies that purchased them for the distribution of products, to the trash pickers in Dharavi slums, McCloud saw how this ubiquitous material passed through the hands of individuals at every level of society. Responding to this material, McCloud developed a unique working process by which pieces of the variously hued plastics are collaged together, sometimes using thousands of pieces to create a single composition.

At the level of their material and subject matter, his works address issues concerning the economics of labour, geopolitics and the environmental impact of plastic. In them, McCloud continues his practice of incorporating industrial materials into his work, using plastic as a tool to better understand our similarities and differences as a human race; to connect to our environment; and to contribute to reversing the negative impact of our carbon footprint. The project culminates in a plastic bag fused painting.  

Really well done all, your creativity and ethos is an inspiration to us all.  Huge thanks to our Year 9s and to the department for sharing these beautiful pieces.

And we look forward to celebrating our next Artists of the Week, in what will be the finale to this term.

As ever, for rolling up-to-date information on all the great work produced by our students, follow the Department on:

Instagram: @urmston_grammar_art 

X: @UGS_Art 

Pinterest:  @urmstongrammar_art