exhibition statement

The following is what I have sent to Sophie but it will be edited down. I though I would put it up here just so that you can have a nosey! If you think I should change anything or add anything just let me know today if you can and i will let Sophie know. Also, Dave, have a look at the acknowledgements-are you ok with it quite general or do you feel it should list all of the individuals?(it will be under the statement next to our piece? Oh and who has been your financial support at College? Do you want to mention their name?

Thanks...

Traceur Tag
De La Salle School in collaboration with St Helens College


The theme for the schools project, Future, Fiction and Fantasy, seemed to instantly form a connection with our idea to produce a piece of work using Parkour and the virtual world as the concept. This film was a collaborative effort between De La Salle School and St Helens College and it was only through this collaboration that the desire to create a film based on the computer game genre was realised. It was at the initial stages of the collaboration that contemporary artworks such as Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle proved influential along with the film Jump Britain and a variety of computer games such as Halo and Unreal, which helped us to establish the kinds of environment that could form the basis for the film.

Without a doubt the vehicle which supported this project’s creative growth and encouraged clear communication throughout was the Biennial Freerunner’s Blog, instigated by Dave Wood. This blog became a hub of activity which maintained consistency in content during the six month period. Ideas, thoughts, concerns, artistic references and discussions were posted daily, hourly and often by the minute in pursuit of our collective goal. The most interesting element of the blog, from an educational perspective, was the innovative approach to formative assessment, providing rapid responses to creative problems in a contemporary manner aiding motivation and communication. Both De La Salle School and St Helens College are now exploring ways in which blogs can impact upon student’s development and bring assessment methods into the 21st Century.

This film explores a passion for an activity that in society can be considered as subversive or anti social and channels that enthusiasm into a creative medium. From a school’s point of view the boys were given an opportunity to express themselves in a language that is comfortable to them but in a safe environment, they worked with students witnessing the creative process in action but also what vocational links art can provide.

Finally, working on the School’s Project with the Biennial team has provided us with a fantastic opportunity to investigate contemporary approaches to schemes of work, work collaboratively between different institutions and the community and develop effective forms of communication, all of which have supported our personal development for the delivery of new initiatives such as the re-launch of the Secondary Curriculum and the introduction of the Creative and Media Diploma.

Acknowledgements
Aaron Ross, Dominic Andrew, Matthew Fitzhenry and Phillip Smith, the freerunners, Dave Wood and his Creative Team at St Helens College, Matthew Frodsham for his creative lead with the Graphic Design, Jo Millea and De La Salle’s Art Department, Beryl Simmons and Paul Ross for financial support.