Art

The talented ceramicist had his piece War Child chosen from more than 21,000 submissions to be included in the RA’s illustrious Young Artists’ Summer Show.

Nicholas was delighted to discover his creation, which he made as part of his GCSE 3D art coursework last year, had been accepted into the prestigious exhibition. He said: “It was part of a series of ceramic artworks that were inspired by photographs of children whose lives have been torn apart by war.

“This is unfortunately a perpetually current issue. I was particularly interested in expressing feelings of emptiness and loss of hope.

“The specific War Child piece takes the form of a boy that stares directly at the viewer with a blank, resigned expression, questioning the reasoning of his incomprehensible situation.” In order to develop the form of his piece, Nicholas drew inspiration from the burnished and reduction-smoked ceramic artworks of renowned KenyanBritish ceramist Magdalene Odundo, as well as from the semi-abstract visual language of world-famous sculptor Henry Moore.

Nicholas added that his introduction to raku – a firing process where ceramics are removed from the kiln while red hot and cooled rapidly – in Year 10 had been a big influence on his work.

He said: “It’s an unpredictable and often unforgiving process, but I set up a firing bin in my garden – using wood shavings and certain chemicals for colouring – to experiment and develop my understanding of the technique.”

With the War Child piece, Nicholas sculpted the hollow clay form of the boy and used the ancient technique of terra sigillata – covering the surface with a suspension of highly-refined clay particles and burnishing it – to achieve a smooth sheen.

After a first bisque firing, he coloured the piece with a metallic salts wash. The piece was then saggar-fired, using wood shavings, in the electric kiln at school before a final wax polish was added.

He said: “I like the tactile aspect of working clay and the fact that it results into a physical, three-dimensional object. Mrs Wilkins has been especially helpful with the knowledge and support she has given me.”

The award is sponsored by Sir Michael and Lady Heller. Sir Michael is an Old Persean (1954), businessman and philanthropist, who was knighted in 2013 for charitable services.

Pupils were invited to submit photographs linked to the theme of ‘Connections’, with Sir Michael and Lady Heller choosing Laetitia’s shot Flying Colours, featuring the Red Arrows in action during a display.

Perse Head of Art Ben Keeble commented: “The composition is very striking, with strong dynamic diagonals and reflects the recent Jubilee celebrations very well.

“This year’s theme was ‘Connections’ and the contrails of the jets appear to connect, without, of course, any contact from the aeroplanes themselves.”

Kate created a 3D ceramic piece based on the haemagglutinin protein during Year 9 as part of an ongoing Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) programme in which the Perse art and biology departments have been involved for several years.

Pupils’ works inspired by 3D structures of molecules from the PDBe archive often feature in annual exhibitions in Cambridge.

However, Kate’s super sculpture was selected to be shown as part of the permanent World of Molecular Biology exhibition at the Heidelberg headquarters of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). It came after teacher Mandy Wilkins, who leads the art aspect of the Perse PDBe project, was approached to submit a pupil piece for possible inclusion.

The haemagglutinin protein on which Kate’s creation is based is found on the surface of flu viruses and is integral to its infectivity.

She explained: “I based my piece on the influenza virus because of its dynamic form. I started by creating two semisphere pinch pots and then used the score-and-slip technique to seal the two halves together.

“After that, I made spikes, which had to harden before being attached using score and slip. These dried to hold their shape and balance. “Once I was satisfied, it had its first firing and I then applied three coats of blue rutile glaze. The thickness and firing temperature created a fluid natural quality to my 3D piece.

“The colour of the glaze was chosen because a green-blue colour is often used in CAD (computer-aided design) representations of the virus, as well as a mottled surface.”

Pupils in Year 11 studying the GCSE fine art course looked at natural forms as a starting point for their projects in the personal investigation, researching numerous artists to inspire the development of their ideas. They were encouraged to develop sustained final outcomes in the media of their choice, reflecting the diversity of media and techniques available to them during the course.

Those studying the A level course started a series of skills-based workshops in their first year looking at the human form, beginning their personal investigations exploring a wide variety of themes and historical approaches to art-making depending on their interests. This led naturally into their research for the related study essay where they were required to research an aspect of art and design, extending knowledge gleaned in their practical portfolio. Their stunning outcomes were the culmination of two years’ practical and written work and will be on display in an exhibition during Michaelmas term 2022.