Visual Arts Excursion

By Trinita Kardia

Seventeen Year 12 students from Visual Arts ATAR and Visual Arts General classes attended the annual hands-on learning excursion to the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA).

Engaging in various activities with Artist and Head of Artistic learning Lilly Blue, students learnt about cultivating concepts from compositions and creating representations of Aboriginal Totems, while exploring the Art Gallery’s diverse range of Indigenous art and sculptures and picking up some important art terminology along the way.

Starting out in the morning, the class met Artist and Head of Artistic Learning Lilly Blue, who introduced the concept of perspective to the class, inviting us to watch our surroundings and make connections between art and everyday life. Through doing this we were taught the importance of remaining aware of the beauty and natural art every environment nurtures. Maintaining this ability allows our minds to be in a ‘constant awareness with artistic perception’ according to Ms Blue.

In exploring this idea, we played around with the provided quadratical shapes of various lengths, widths and overall sizes. Each student was provided 5 felt blocks. With topics such as ‘Hope and Fear’, ‘Balance’ and ‘Symmetry’, we were asked to construct sculptures based on these prompts.

We were later asked to elaborate on our creations, attempting to link it with a concept or idea. Students Dawn Albuquerque and Jacob Allanby for example, shared their connection with their sculptures mentioning their concepts of ‘Femininities involvement with structural masculine society’ as well as the ‘Need for one-another’s support within the community’.

These concepts only discovered through playing around with 5 various shaped blocks. Blue therefore helped our ability to cultivate the concepts that we discovered and found interesting guiding our artistic fuel for communicating a message.

Following this workshop, we were introduced to Aboriginal totem making. Using raffia and coloured wool, we manipulated and bound the wool with circular and winding motions around the raffia to create an animal/plant/object of our choosing. In making these representations of Aboriginal Totems, we discovered Indigenous art-making as well as tactile process of creating art.

Students Alyssa Salim, Hannah Titterton and Tayah Freeman created a lizard, a twisting and winding tree and a chicken respectively.

In taking a lunch break, the students were able to enjoy the ‘Polly Coffee Bar’, ‘Livingstone Crema Café’ as well as the favourited ‘Pretzel’ shop where many students enjoyed a delicious bite of sweet and savoury treats.

We were also able to enjoy the rooftop deck of various bronze sculptures picking up the term ‘Pastiche’ to describe the process and state of the aged green-oxide colour that forms on the bronze material after some time. Along with the terms ‘Composite negative and positive space’.

We then split into two separate groups made up of General and ATAR art students to explore the Art Gallery. I as an ATAR student, analysed and enjoyed 4 particular sculptures on Colonial, Post-colonial and natural Indigenous history in which two will appear in our upcoming Visual Arts Compare and Contrast assessment!

This excursion allowed us to experience, engage and enjoy the presence of art. Overall we as students thoroughly enjoyed the inspiring trip to the gallery, discovering not simply artwork but history and techniques and crucial terminology as well.

Until next time from Visual Arts!

Trinita Kardia – Visual Arts Captain