'ONE BLOOD' - ART, MUSIC AND DANCE - Visual Art and Sound Installation and Dance Performance
A collaboration between the Bromley-by-Bow Centre Creative Arts, The Bow Arts Trust and St Paul’s Way Community School – Funded by the Wellcome Trust
‘One Blood’ was a project that brought together dance, music and science with visual arts considering the theme of Blood.
The project was directed and co-ordinated by Bromley by Bow Centre Creative Arts programme working with teachers at St Paul’s Way Trust School and the Bow Arts Trust.
The performance project for young people was designed to focus on the idea of the body as a positive force and the journeys of blood, air, and food through the body - and the necessity of choosing health - rather than disease and chronic illness in order to keep the life journey on track.
The work and ideas were inspired by presentations on health and the body from two experts scientists Simon Twite and Dr Paul Brickell, visiting Professor in Molecular Haematology, Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children at University College London.
The performance combined street dance and street music composed for the performance. Art was used to provide film backdrop and projections during the performance and promotional material for the performance.
• Union Dance company choreographers, Streets of Growth teachers and young adult mentors lead the street dance sessions
• Musician/composer Maurice Horhut lead the street music sessions
• The Bow Arts Education lead the art sessions with artist Abbie Hunt and Nic Sandiland
• The Bromley By Bow Centre lead the art/science sessions with artist/nurse Yvonne Coughlan and professional graphic artist Salek Uddin
The performance was developed over a term with the external practitioners, students and teachers and then performed in school before being taken to an external performance space, Rich mix in 2008.
The subject areas that worked on the project were KS3 Drama/KS4 performing Arts, Double Award Art and Double Award Science.
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‘One Blood’ was a project that brought together dance, music and science with visual arts considering the theme of Blood.
The project was directed and co-ordinated by Bromley by Bow Centre Creative Arts programme working with teachers at St Paul’s Way Trust School and the Bow Arts Trust.
The performance project for young people was designed to focus on the idea of the body as a positive force and the journeys of blood, air, and food through the body - and the necessity of choosing health - rather than disease and chronic illness in order to keep the life journey on track.
The work and ideas were inspired by presentations on health and the body from two experts scientists Simon Twite and Dr Paul Brickell, visiting Professor in Molecular Haematology, Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children at University College London.
The performance combined street dance and street music composed for the performance. Art was used to provide film backdrop and projections during the performance and promotional material for the performance.
• Union Dance company choreographers, Streets of Growth teachers and young adult mentors lead the street dance sessions
• Musician/composer Maurice Horhut lead the street music sessions
• The Bow Arts Education lead the art sessions with artist Abbie Hunt and Nic Sandiland
• The Bromley By Bow Centre lead the art/science sessions with artist/nurse Yvonne Coughlan and professional graphic artist Salek Uddin
The performance was developed over a term with the external practitioners, students and teachers and then performed in school before being taken to an external performance space, Rich mix in 2008.
The subject areas that worked on the project were KS3 Drama/KS4 performing Arts, Double Award Art and Double Award Science.
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Science Cafe
Science Café was presented by the Art and Science team, who worked with students on developing knowledge of the journey of the blood, through group work and games.
Life journey - body journey - life plan, life span - blood journey - how long are the veins if they were stretched out?
Journey of one cell - different roles - multitasking - making cells, recreating cells - repeat - layers - macro/micro - projection - signaling - networking
Microscope - cell structure - representation- Reproduction - repeat - symmetry/asymmetry - repeat/reflection (using mirrors - kaleidoscope type repeating images - going through layers - growing - reproducing themselves (cells) - cell structure - repeat pattern
Disease, mutation, conflict - defense mechanisms - yet heart beat is consistent throughout (different beats for different people) - pulse rates - journey - lines - constant - continuous
Journey of one cell - different roles - multitasking - making cells, recreating cells - repeat - layers - macro/micro - projection - signaling - networking
Microscope - cell structure - representation- Reproduction - repeat - symmetry/asymmetry - repeat/reflection (using mirrors - kaleidoscope type repeating images - going through layers - growing - reproducing themselves (cells) - cell structure - repeat pattern
Disease, mutation, conflict - defense mechanisms - yet heart beat is consistent throughout (different beats for different people) - pulse rates - journey - lines - constant - continuous
Art and Science workshop
Workshop with yr10 art students and Science students
AIMS:
- -Group brainstorm on what is blood, thinking back to the science cafe
- -Individual artistic response on A1 paper listening to reading/words about the blood
Art Workshops
Students explored Ideas from the brief:
- One Blood brief presented
- Powerpoint of microscopic images of blood and artist responses
- Each student created a response to One Blood using coloured inks, oil and flower in a tray, photographic documentation was taken of each stage
- A final ink Blood creation was made and then a visual response was made on A4 paper of the ink Blood
Art and Science Trip to the Welcome Trust
• The Art and Science Groups visited the science/art gallery archives where students researched and made drawings of work on display.
3D Art Workshop
Cell Structure:
Paper Manipulation:
Ideas for moving forward:
- Research into blood cell structure and make up
- Research into artists who make quite defined/graphical images of cell structure. (sculptural examples of cell like structures and representations)
Paper Manipulation:
- Using cutwork and paper manipulation techniques, students explored ideas of cell structure in a three dimensional way. (white paper and found paper or book paper, to ensure concentration on structural forms, rather than visual representation.
- Students experimented with folding, cutting, twisting and attaching paper to create 3-D forms
Ideas for moving forward:
- Projection and use of three dimensional forms in the performance
Filming Workshop
Slides and Acetates:
· students created ‘homemade’ slides and larger scale acetates, from encasing ink between sheets of acetate and displayed on OHP slides from slide cases, coloured acetate, tracing paper, permanent pen drawings, photographs printed on acetate, key words were also used relating to the blood.
Video:
· Students worked with Nic Students and created large ink water pieces in a tank
· They explored photographing them and videoing them using mirrors and lighting
· Students worked with Nic on further developing ideas and filming the cell structures –travelling through space/structures, also filming projecting onto the cell structures and multiplying the structures (like cells) using mirrors and kaleidoscope techniques. Students were also able to take part/view some of the editing of all the film work and sound to create a final visual film projection for the final dance performance.
Projecting:
• Students tested out projecting their slides and OHPs and early video work on to white objects and material
Music and Dance
Music and Sound Sample Workshops
• Musician Simon Astaphan, leader of Maximum Music worked with students to create a street music style. Students experimented with creating sounds and rhythms related to the idea of blood travelling through the body text/info. The sounds were created and mixed over several sessions and then handed over the dance group.
Dance Workshops
• Union Dance company choreographers, Streets of Growth teachers and young adult mentors lead street dance sessions where they created and developed dance/movement with a group 10-15 students based on the idea of the journey of blood travelling through the body responding to the street sound mix the music students had produced
• Musician Simon Astaphan, leader of Maximum Music worked with students to create a street music style. Students experimented with creating sounds and rhythms related to the idea of blood travelling through the body text/info. The sounds were created and mixed over several sessions and then handed over the dance group.
Dance Workshops
• Union Dance company choreographers, Streets of Growth teachers and young adult mentors lead street dance sessions where they created and developed dance/movement with a group 10-15 students based on the idea of the journey of blood travelling through the body responding to the street sound mix the music students had produced
Final Art Installation at the Nunnery Gallery
The visual part of the project was to consider the Blood through the visual arts working alongside a professional artist – Abigail Hunt and film maker Nic Sandiland.
They developed the art work through exploring 2-D and 3-D ideas that were used to form a visual film projection for the final dance performance.
• The exhibition of art work and cell structures was arranged and hung in a small enclosed space at the gallery and the final film projected through the space and through the hanging cell structures, the music and sound samples accompanied the film. The overall effect was visually stunning.
We were awarded by OFSTED an ‘Outstanding Certificate’ for our successful community art curriculum links with artists organisations as a direct result of working on this project.
To see and hear a section from the installation click here
We were awarded by OFSTED an ‘Outstanding Certificate’ for our successful community art curriculum links with artists organisations as a direct result of working on this project.
To see and hear a section from the installation click here
Promotional Art Work
students considered and created promotional material to advertise the ONE BLOOD project and performance. They worked alongside professional graphic artist – Salek Uddin. They developed ideas and realised them in Photoshop.
Final Performance with Dancers and Video Art Work
• 2 performances were produced at school, 1 for lower school and 1 for parents.
• 2 perfromances were put on at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green
The final performance was an excellent example of a complex cross curricular project coming together with the commitment from all that was involved
• 2 perfromances were put on at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green
The final performance was an excellent example of a complex cross curricular project coming together with the commitment from all that was involved