A project exploring Home and Identity with Year 10’s from Parrs Wood High School

This project will explore personal collections through the lens of Durer. Students have been invited to delve into the significance of their personal collections in shaping their sense of home and identity. Year 10’s from Parrs Wood High School have studied Durer’s artistic techniques and themes during the past 2 months. Students gained inspiration, have analysed the collections with fresh perspective and expressed their insight’s through artistic creations through printmaking and photography. The project aims to produce self-reflection (my city, my community, materialistic behaviours and patterns) and present deeper dives into the collections and to appreciate narratives to the exhibition to understand themselves and their connection to the concept of home.

The gallery chose two artistic practices to help develop creative skills in arts relating to Durer own practice. Photography – replicating Durer’s commentary – capturing subjects with their domestic or quality commissioned wares linking to today’s world of social media promotion of self-image. Printmaking – the power of observational drawing/etching. More than ever before, this project will have practitioners really examine at depth technique and process through analysis and recording recreating their own prints linking to the theme of home.

Both practitioners we have chosen are no strangers to in depth, detailed work and art outcomes.

Andrew Brooks is a Manchester based photographer who has wide experience of across many types of photography with a focus on landscapes, interiors, people photography and creative retouching.

https://www.andrewbrooksphotography.com

Alan Birch is a printmaker with vast experience working with a variety of schools, galleries and creative organisations. Alan, having already contributed and well into the themes of Durer through the Melencolia project, is a popular member of the artist network at the Whitworth and is well versed in Durer’s world.

Both are artists who, like Durer, apply incredible attention to detail and have ways they can help us document and capture today’s world with younger audiences. The school is Parrs Wood High, Year 10 Art and Design and Photography students – the school will be working towards the topic ‘identity’.

Stay tuned where we share the final outcomes from this exciting collaboration and thank you to all the artists and teachers involved.

Please enjoy these images of the project thus far…