Bringing words and pictures together for mobile art
School pupils and college students in the Mendips have been bringing art and poetry together for a new, colourful mobile project.
First West of England is about to launch its first Poetry Bus, which showcases work by budding poets at St Dunstan’s School in Glastonbury and design students and staff from Strode College in Street.
Over the past few weeks, year seven and eight pupils have been working with Somerset writer Thommie Gillow to create short pieces of poetry inspired by a wide range of subjects from mental health and the environment to everyday issues and nature.
Once the wordsmiths had finished their pieces it was time for students at Strode to spend a morning at the Bristol Hippodrome where they attended a workshop with First Bus’ design company mhd partnership, before illustrating the pieces of poetry using the words as their inspiration.
Their final designs, which feature the poems, will now go on display on four double decker buses, and will potentially be seen by thousands of passengers every week on Mendip services between Somerset and Bristol.
Christian Lockyer, First West of England’s PR Manager, said: “This has been a fantastic project to work on, and it’s been great seeing the students really sink their teeth into what was asked of them. We gave them free rein to inspire themselves and be inspired by the poetry, and we’ve been so impressed with the final results.
“This has been a great opportunity for young people to work with professionals in the writing and design world, and a chance for them to get some real hands-on experience and see their creations on buses in the local area.
“If you board one of our Mendip buses, keep your eyes peeled for our Poetry Buses and be prepared to immerse yourself in the words and images around you.”
As well as First West of England, the project, which has been supported by Elizabeth J Walker, Glastonbury Town Council, Inn Glastonbury Ltd, The Covenstead and The Hollow Hills, has also been led by Mendip passenger group Glastonbury On The Bus.
One of its members Phil Shepherd, who also works for Somerset Film, said: “Glastonbury on the Bus members are delighted to see this lovely project come to fruition, helping to make bus travel cool for everyone.”
Strode College used this project as an opportunity to provide a dozen of its students with hands-on work experience.
The college’s work experience coordinator, Michele Thomas, said: “We are delighted that our Strode College Art students have been included in this exciting project which has provided them, not only with the opportunity to take part in a live work brief to showcase their talents but also the chance to practice the soft skills of communication, planning and timekeeping which are so important in the workplace”.
Karen Gregory, Head of English, Media, Drama and Music at St Dunstan’s School, said: “The children at St Dunstan’s are both creative and keen to support our local community. Working on this project was an exciting way to showcase the power of poetry. We are proud of our involvement and look forward to seeing the impact.”
The poetry is expected to remain on display on four Mendip buses for at least the next year.
More information about the project, as well as the poetry and artwork, can be viewed on the First West of England website.
