Throughout term 1, Year 6 practised their observational skills by drawing objects and photographs of cultural objects from around the world. As well as studying them carefully, pupils also considered the cultural significance of such artefacts and discussed how they were acquired by museums for display in the past. They have answered the question: should looted objects in British museums be repatriated?
Within our gallery below, you will see some of the children’s answers to the question. As a Year group, we discussed the Benin Bronzes in the British Museum and the role of the Plank Mask (Nwantangtay – from Burkina Faso in West Africa) in traditional ceremonies.
The work seen in our galley below is A3 in size and has been drawn using discarded and unwanted disposable biros collected from members of staff and children from our school – diverting them from the landfill. We used inspiration from contemporary artists Ray Cicin and Mark Powell and the drawings of well-known sculptor, Henry Moore, all of whom have used biro within their work.
Before beginning, the children considered how to describe the different tones and colours within their objects; they practised techniques such as hatching, cross hatching, scribbling and clustering lines together to produce darker tones. Pupils explored making different marks and practised with the pens until they felt comfortable to proceed with their final drawing.
Everyone worked hard, and the results are fab!
