Connections in Time

Half Moon is delighted to be hosting our eighth annual exhibition of work by young people from our local secondary schools in partnership with Tower Hamlets Artist Teacher Network. This year we are working collaboratively with two schools, St Paul’s Way School and Stepney All Saints School, to present Connections in Time, a vibrant and diverse range of work in different media by their GCSE and A-Level Art students.

The work being exhibited is striking in the range of styles and its maturity. Created in response to the specifications of the curriculum and examination courses, this exhibition provides an engaging visual overview of the practice of contemporary Tower Hamlets students in their early creative careers.

At St Paul’s Way School, students were encouraged to take a journey of curiosity about art, design and visual media in developing their work, fostering a desire to learn, research and experimentation. Art, for the school, is a vital element of the curriculum and students are taught to explore and experiment with a wide range of artists’ approaches and techniques to encourage their creativity. This approach nurtures visual literacy and critical thinking through exploring the world around them as part of their engagement with project themes.

At Stepney All Saints School, students have explored a variety of themes that help them to deepen and broaden their creative skills and knowledge. Art and design technology play a vital role in contributing to the holistic education of each student at the school, allowing them a space to explore, experiment, create, fail and succeed. Students are encouraged to explore their sense of self and place in the world, to foster a sense of empathy and develop critical analysis skills and we encourage them to develop curiosity and inquisitiveness.

The tension between time and space for creative expression has never been more important since resurfacing from lockdown. Students in our local schools have been impacted by the restrictions imposed on us all by COVID-19, struggling to make creative connections and finding their creative space and imagination restricted. Despite this, the students who are sharing their work, show how they have emerged from the pressures of lockdown life and found new ways to reconnect and establish creative ways of working again.

Connections in Time is part of Half Moon’s on-going commitment to showcase the work of local art students from across our home borough and to inspire more young people to see the creative industries as a fulfilling and exciting career choice.