Fluff, discarded scraps of wood and broken toys were amongst the materials used by artist Tim Spooner and Year 2 pupils in an exhibition currently on display at St. Botolph Without Aldgate, in Aldgate East.
The pieces are intended to present an alternative view of Tower Hamlets, but on a micro level.
Spooner, 35 who works in performance art, collage, painting and sculpture, curated and oversaw the children, told Eastlondonlines: “Looking at things on that smaller level is something which really interests me. It gives you this whole other way of looking at the world.”
He added: “It felt like something that small children would be into, with the added advantage being they are a lot closer to the ground!”
The children were taken to several places of interest to collect the materials before working on them, including Whitechapel Gallery, Brady Arts Centre and an antique shop near Spitalfields called Gardners.
Head teacher of Canon Barnett, Sarah Jane Bellerby said: “It was an opportunity for the children to get out and learn about the wider world in a realm outside the classroom.”
The collaboration also gifted the children a chance to develop their own characters whilst being creative, something which Bellerby saw as vital for their overall education.
Bellerby said: “There’s no right or wrong in art – it was a very inclusive environment that the children were working. It gave them a chance to make mistakes which didn’t matter.”
Spooner is best known for his project ‘The Telescope’, which uses a microscope to reveal a universe of tiny objects manipulated with magnets. Talking of his work with the school pupils, he said he found the experience very positive. “It was much more exciting and surprising than I had originally thought”.
Eibhlin Jones, who worked alongside Spooner on the project said: “It was great fun. The children got very involved in it all – the only time we intervened was when they demanded more glue for their sculptures!”
The installation is being shown from 9am to 5pm until Friday, December 13.
