Visual Arts and Faculty

From the Co-ordinator of Visual Arts

About Last Night…

On the evening of 29 July, Year 9 Visual Arts and Year 9 Photography students stepped into the atmospheric world of Q Station, Manly a place where history, memory and haunting stories intersect. As dusk settled over the harbour, students moved through the former quarantine grounds equipped with EMF meters, tracing the corridors, stairways and quiet pockets where thousands once stood during periods of isolation.

Guides shared accounts of passengers who arrived sick, frightened or hopeful, alongside stories of the nurses, doctors and workers who endured the station’s most challenging eras. These narratives some tragic, others mysterious shaped the tone of the night. Students listened closely, observing the textures of the site: creaking timber underfoot, lantern light flickering across weathered surfaces, and the cold air that lingers in the hospital wings.

A handful of jump scares punctuated the tour, prompting laughter, wide eyes and a renewed sense of alertness, yet the group remained respectful, composed and deeply engaged. By morning, classrooms were alive with animated retellings of unusual EMF readings, shadowy figures, ghosts and entities including the now‑famous Mr Slimy and Sam along with reflections on the emotional weight carried by the stories shared.

The experience has already sparked fresh ideas for Visual Arts and Photography projects. Visual Arts students are eager to explore Q Station’s paranormal architecture through drawing and etching, while Photography students will develop film‑making responses that draw on the site’s layered histories and the stories of those who walked this place as stimulus for narrative and visual experimentation. More to come, with Photography students set to bring their stories to life through filming on the school grounds later in August.

A huge thank you to Visual Arts staff Ms Blundell, Ms Mooney and Mrs Legend for giving up their time to accompany our students and share the experience of Q Station.

Year 11 Visual Arts Art Gallery of NSW Excursion

Year 11 Visual Arts students visited the Art Gallery of NSW on Monday 3 August to participate in a Stage 6 writing workshop focused on unpacking Section 1 unseen images. Working in pairs with iPads, they analysed artworks by Billy Bain, Vernon Ah Kee and portraits in the Yirribana Gallery, and later explored additional works through a “choose your own adventure” task that encouraged autonomy and independent inquiry.

In the Media Lab, students collaborated to respond to a Section I style question using one of the artworks they had annotated. They then shared their findings with the cohort, strengthening their confidence in visual analysis, critical thinking and written expression.

The group also visited the Avatar of Vishnu exhibition, gaining insight into how artists across cultures have depicted Vishnu’s many forms through sculpture, painting, textiles and photography. The day concluded with a self-guided visit to the Archibald Prize, where students used a question booklet to support later classroom discussion. A warm thank you to Mrs Legend for accompanying the cohort and supporting their learning throughout the day.