Y5 Creative Kids at Clarendon Primary
Talented Year 5 pupils at Clarendon Primary School in Bolton have been working with me to design a colourful, contemporary steelwork barrier for their school.
The twenty-metre long safety barrier – fabricated by Luke Lister Engineers in Stockport – is a delightful and charming feature that enhances the school building and also serves as a permanent display of the children’s vibrant works of art. The accomplished blacksmiths at Luke Listers have faithfully reproduced in forged steel a stunning representation of local wildlife from the children’s original artworks, which includes native butterflies, bees, birds, mini-beasts, plants and small animals.
Design workshops took place at school in March. The Year 5 pupils were wonderful and I was inspired by the enthusiasm and excellent feedback that the pupils responded with. They came up with so many fantastic ideas and made a great job of expressing them using the wire drawing and paper quilling techniques that I showed them to make their 3D models.
Once all the children’s artwork was ready to use, my job was to arrange it all into a design that could serve the dual function of safely protecting the children and looking wonderful.
Ready to go for galvanising
(You can see a slide show about the steelwork designs workshops on the Y5V school blog: http://www.thelifecloud.net/schools/ClarendonCPSchool/resources/RootFolder/Year5(V).blog)
Tracey Cartledge and Luke Lister Blacksmiths have worked collaboratively on a number of high quality public art projects throughout the North West.. See also Butterfinch Bridge, Marshall’s Arm and Anderton Nature Park.
photos by Vincent Abbey
Tracey Cartledge Artist 