Trinity Town
To celebrate the 2021 Trinity Grammar Junior School Art Show, I was invited to devise a collaborative art piece that would be made by the student cohort. Coinciding with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria and students returning to school physically, these workshops explored the PYP Global Context of “Where we are in place and time” and endeavoured to bring together the Trinity community in a ‘Trinity Town’.
Students followed video workshops produced by LUCIANO, initially working with 2D templates before constructing the 3D houses reflecting their personal artistic styles or homes that had special memories of. Templates were adaptable for students of varying abilities.
Once built, additional refinement of their designs continued, students considering the purpose of verandas, fireplaces and other forms they could add to their building to construct a story about who lived inside.
Because of the uncertain future of schooling at this time, the workshops were developed to be completed at home during remote learning or in a school environment. The development of the Trinity Town exhibition was also flexible, being able to take place on a website of student submitted photos of a physical exhibition of the model houses together.
As students were able to complete the workshops at school, students made the individual houses in class and then considered how the houses fit together as a community.
The curation of the houses into the Trinity Town became a student-led activity, the students using found and recycled materials to produce trees, roads and street signs for their miniature community. The students had to consider the built environment in their town, reflecting on the ideas of community, how they could create a town where all the residents are welcome and how the town represents the values of Trinity Grammar.
Students named the streets that connected the houses of the town after activities important to them - Art, Music, Sport and Chapel. Locations like the town centre and entry and exit signs of the city were also constructed.
The houses were placed down the streets and grouped around community services and assets such as pools and parks. The students used recycled materials to produce street lamps to link the different houses and lead visitors through the Trinity Town.