Conflict commemorations to showcase students’ art

Pupils from International School Aberdeen (ISA) were chosen to participate in the creative project which was spearheaded by research and design collective Lateral North and Soluis Heritage. It unites students from the North-east with 90 others from across Scotland to take part in an exhibition, designed by Lateral North and working with Soluis Heritage to create an interactive exhibit showcasing the “100 Stories for 100 Years” commemorations.

The Exhibition is the final event in Scotland’s Commemorative Programme for the Centenary of World War One. Over the past five years, Scotland’s Commemorative Programme has remembered significant events from WWI which had a particular impact on Scotland.

Working in collaboration with Peacock Visual Arts and Gray’s School of Art (GSA) in Aberdeen, nine ISA pupils aged 14-16 have each created their own, unique perspective on the conflict.

The culmination of the project gathers 100 pieces of art for an exhibition entitled: “What Do We Learn From All Th1s?” which is currently running at The Scottish Parliament until September 20th. As it opened, a number of the ISA students and their families paid a visit to the Holyrood building to see their work on show and received a tour of the building with Kevin Stewart MSP and event manager, Tom Smith.

The project has been made possible thanks to the partnership between Lateral North, Soluis Group and the Scottish Print Network and was lucky enough to be hosted by The Scottish Parliament. The WW100 Scotland project aims to inform people about Scotland’s unique contribution to the conflict, its effects on local communities and its impact on modern Scottish life. Along with major events such as the Battles of Loos and Arras, and tragedies such as Quintinshill and Iolaire, many more personal stories came to light and some of these are included in the Exhibition.

Tom Smith, director at Lateral North commented: “We have been working with students from across Scotland to creatively interpret people and place based stories of the First World War. Working with Solius Heritage and the Scottish Print Network, we have brought over 100 artworks together in the form of an abstract map of Scotland. These stories are revealed in augmented reality bringing the Century old stories into the present day."

International School Aberdeen’s head of school Nicholas Little said: “Our students have been combining traditional print with modern techniques to give their unique perspective on Scotland’s World War One story. This has been an amazing opportunity for them to learn, out of class, in a hands-on workshop environment using state-of-the-art printmaking equipment.

“By working with experienced artists and being immersed in the studio, the nine students have expressed their vision and learning through their art as well as having the chance to engage with the local community.”

He added: “These pupils are an excellent representation of the inclusive, international community which exists within our school, coming as they do from the USA, Japan, Nigeria, France, Bolivia and Switzerland as well as from the UK, including Aberdeen itself.”

Also commenting, David McCracken, Print Curator at Peacock Visual Arts said: “The WW100 project enabled Peacock Visual Arts to collaborate with ISA and GSA as well as continue partnerships that reinforce Aberdeen as a City that harvests an identity through art, delivering key projects together with shared ambition and vision. This partnership fostered a genuine exchange between two important groups of young artists at ISA and GSA, both of which will help to describe our future and we are thankful for the opportunity to help nurture their many talents.”