Kevin who has been such a wonderfully dedicated Artist-in-residence at Millstreet Community School describes the overall project in which the enthusiastic Transition Years Students participated. We also share 22 more images of the historic event which was blessed with glorious sunshine. Sculptor Supreme, Kevin writes:
“When six months ago I got a call from Mr.Fraser with the proposed project I was very excited and very grateful of the opportunity to come back to Millstreet school and work in the environment that I grew up in. Mr.Fraser and I discussed the project and came up with a brief for the students. The brief was simple but broad. It was for the class of 13 to design, develop and build a group of creatures that interact with each other and the environment of the school grounds. I met the students and we started brainstorming. A plan slowly started to develop from lots of different areas, such as squid creatures, an alien crash site, coconut monsters and tree like creatures. We had ideas of functional creatures that doubled as seating areas and a fantastical two headed creature that would chase itself in a circle. We settled on a preditor prey situation, where two Aligatyres ambush a Cementapede that is erupting from the ground.
The students were tasked with bringing in and sourcing the materials we would use. We ended up using a large variety of techniques and materials such as wires, willow, tyres, parts of plumbing, chimney brushes, polystyrene, packaging tape, earth, plants, latex, broken toys, hessian, spray paint, moss and concrete. I think it is important to mention that the pieces themselves are still changing and being built. By September the stomach of the cementapede will have grown a big lush green mossy covering and the two aligatyres will be packed with a row of spikey spines and droopy edges filling out the pieces nicely.
Overall the group of students were very creative, imaginative and hard working . I’m not sure they fully realised how much work each and every one of them had to put into the project , throughout each stage of work, to get the pieces finished and in place. It was a large and ambitious project with many parts and we got it done. I’m really proud of the students, their creations and their achievements.
Special thanks to Mr.Fraser, Mrs.Kearney, Mr.Pigott, Mr.Kelleher, Mr.Breen and Tony and the 13 excellent transition year students who came together to create these fantastic permanent works.”
