In the first session, the year 9s were given a puzzle. The students enjoyed trying to figure out how their picture pieces went together – finally discovering it was Turner’s View of the High Street, Oxford times 2!
Afterwards, the group were then asked a series of questions about the painting and art in general. The questions got the students to think about what art meant to them, how art has changed and also what the image that Turner had created could mean to them.
What is art?
‘Creative being’, ‘Expressing yourself’, ‘Originality’, ‘Imagination’, ‘Non-judgement’, ‘Sharing’, ‘Everything is art’, ‘Memory’, ‘New ideas’
What is your first impression of the painting?
‘Old’, ‘Home’, ‘Photograph’, ‘Dull/ plain’, ‘Rustic’, ‘Detailed’, ‘Vintage’, ‘Oxford’, ‘Not like today’.
We discussed the tools that Turner would have available to him if he were creating this work today, and talked about photography, video, 3D printing and 360 film.
Through these sessions, the year 9s are going to look at the High Street past, present and future through a range of media.