London Inspires Artistic Boarders

The penultimate weekend of the half term saw seven boarders and two of our Art Dept staff, take on the sights and sounds of London’s contemporary art scene.

A glorious morning welcomed the group to soak up the weekend buzz and bustle of London’s iconic Southbank .

First stop was Tate Modern with its wealth of modern art and architectural offerings from surrealism to brutalism. The phenomenal collection offers something new on every visit, encouraging us, as viewers, to contemplate not only the meaning of art but also take in a broader perspective of how creative commentary remains a fundamental part of a democratic society.

The Tate Modern encourages a resetting of the global art compass, to point towards a more inclusive world where the freedom of artistic expression is mirrored by our day to interactions with each other.

Yinka Shonibare’s exhibit of thousands of brightly covered books lined the gallery walls to comment and challenge old norms of our colonial past, as did the fascinating display of work examining Australia’s indigenous past and notions surrounding borders and boundaries in a global society. Such a great opportunity to inform and inspire new work and ideas for our culture thirsty Art students from Leighton Park.

Bathed in low slung winter sun, our next stop took in St Paul’s Cathedral before heading for sundown on the roof top terrace of the adjacent One New Change.

Advancing into the evening, a brisk walk saw us arrive at ‘Lux’, a new gallery beneath ground level at 180 the Strand. The hype around the show, certainly lived up to its reputation as we were plunged into a dark, moody theatrical space housing thirteen cutting edge digital and moving image artists from across globe.  The underground labyrinth was absolutely captivating where once more we were asked to challenge our preconceptions as physical painting gave way to beautifully hypnotic projections using time, space and light as their medium.

To close the day, the illuminated city, river skyline guided the group back to the familiar oakleaf badge on the side of our transport home. What a day!