Collaboration is always a key element for the IB Visual Arts & Design Technology exhibition. The two departments, whilst very separate, have worked together in such a way to bring the visual elements of design, creativity, experimentation and risk taking together for an exhibition.
Exhibitions always rely on a range of things – great art, ideas and awareness of the audience. However, a key ingredient is collaboration, the sharing of ideas, themes, spaces and cultural awareness. This year the IB Visual Art and Design Technology students ended their two-year courses with a varied exhibition of themes, concepts and challenges for the audience and a celebration for our community.
On display in the gallery space at the Changning District Library are collections of original work that discuss issues of portraiture, sustainable design, world-wide topics and current events. Many works were the outcomes of almost a year and half working and experimenting with themes, concepts and the challenges of the materials. This year we witnessed artworks made of card, wood and wax, and beautiful, vibrant paintings. We are challenged by concepts of sustainability and social issues, questions of cultural heritage and modern design. Art can be bright and pleasing, making you feel warm and nice, but it can also challenge and shock the viewer.
The Design Technology students have drawn from a range of real world problems, fusing traditional products/practices with modern lifestyles and thinking. Concepts range from modernizing a traditional tea ceremony to the contrast of making modern design inclusive to the old. Materials range from carbon fiber, oak, 3D printing to fabrics and smart materials. Theories relating to Sustainability, Inclusion and User Centred Design whilst balancing Form verses Function have been the exploration of the students journey.
It is now over to the upcoming year 12’s to continue in the tradition and continue to raise the bar and challenge the viewers next time.
Mr. David Mitchell
Puxi Secondary Head of D&T