Henley Festival 'Rings Around the World' project for schools recognised by London 2012
April 2009
The Henley Festival's spectacular supersize art project for schools, 'Rings Around the World', has been officially recognised by London 2012 through its Inspire programme - in recognition of its outstanding quality and innovative links to the London 2012 Games. 'Rings Around the World' is this year's SHOUT! outreach programme for schools, run and funded by the Henley Festival's charitable arm, the Henley Festival Trust.
The 'Inspire' mark, the badge of the Inspire programme, is awarded to exceptional non-commercial projects inspired by the Games across sport, culture, education, environment and volunteering and is the first of its kind ever to be created by an Olympic or Paralympic Games. Henley Festival's 'Supersize Art' project has created ten murals on huge canvases 20'x6', one in each of ten participating local schools, under the guidance of Charlie Charles and Julian Walker from mural specialists Hugh JArt. The theme of the project is based on the 5 continents symbolised by the Olympic 'linked rings' logo: Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America .
Each participating school has chosen to research a country within one of the Olympic continents and Hugh JArt have been working in the schools, helping the children to develop images and ideas and an overall design for their canvas. Work on the canvases has been underway since September and the supersize artworks were completed earlier this term.
Sacred Heart Primary chose China as its 'adopted' country and linked the mural painting to a 'whole school' project on the country. Wargrave's Robert Piggott Junior School decided on India to tie in with a link they already have with an Indian orphanage. Ghana is Langtree School in Woodcote's choice as the school has a link with a school there. Crazies Hill schoolchildren were inspired by the wildlife and sunsets of Africa and it was Philip Pullman's 'Northern Lights' which gave Trinity Primary the idea of choosing Northern Europe . Badgemore Primary were taken with the glorious castles of Eastern Europe and Peppard and Valley Road Primary Schools chose the USA as their country, with Peppard focusing on the Native Americans and Valley Road being inspired by skyscrapers, Route 66 and Elvis for their Modern Day USA mural. Gillotts teamed up with Shiplake to take on South America , with Gillotts basing its quirky Mexican theme on the 'Day of the Dead' festival and Shiplake featuring the country's trademark toucans and soldier ants in their Brazilian mural.
And the project doesn't stop at Supersize painting. Music and dance has been adding another dimension this term, with community dance specialists The Dance Movement, musical animateur Andy Baker and percussionist Joby Burgess working with the schools to create performance pieces on their international themes. The final pieces will be performed in front of the 10 murals during Festival week in July 2009.
Says Stewart Collins , The Henley Festival's Artistic Director; "It is a genuine feather in the Henley Festival's cap to have been recognised by London 2012. The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is, quite rightly, incredibly selective about who they award this accreditation to and they have made it clear that they regard Henley Festival's project as exemplary and truly worthy of the award."
