Utopia Now! Art Excursion

During August, the Year 9 and 10 Visual Art students attended the Utopia Now! Art Installation at the Salamanca Arts Centre as part of the Winter Lights Festival. 

After creating their own installations during Term 2, this excursion provided the students with the experience of a viewing an immersive art installation.

This exhibition was unique, quirky and challenged the boundaries of what art might be. Utopia Now! was a community art project where artists collaborated with young people from diverse backgrounds and then presented their vision of a sustainable future that allows us all to flourish and live in harmony. The culmination of this explorative creative process was a large-scale installation that included live performances and interactive elements.

It was inspiring to see 3 different groups of young people perform their concepts of Utopia, merging with projections, music and sculptures to become part of their artworks. Our students commented on their bravery and willingness to be part of such a unique project. They were equally impressed by some of the sculptural works that featured clouds, textiles and a massive tree created out of plastic toys.

There was a profoundly moving video work that featured a young student interviewing their teacher about their vision of Utopia. She dreams of inclusivity and acceptance of differences. Witnessing the honest relationship between this student and teacher and the discussion they had around prejudice and our fear of rejection reminded me of the privilege we have to be on this journey of learning with our students and the opportunities we have to explore bigger concepts such as what it means to be human and seeking positive relationships where we all feel accepted.

The final part of the installation featured white boxes with audio stories being told within each. We were all invited to reflect on our own visions of Utopia and write or draw them on the boxes. This was a fantastic way to end what had been a truly unique experience that pushed us all out of our comfort zones.

Photography by Eelaf Sissay, Averil Quin, Rebecca Niiranen and Izzy White