TAMESIDE SEND SCHOOL ARTS COLLABORATION – FREEDOM TO TELL OUR STORY – HMD 2024
Activity information
Activity type: Public activity
Organisation name: Thomas Ashton School
Website: https://www.thomasashton.tameside.sch.uk/
Address:
Thomas Ashton SEMH School
Bennett Street
Hyde
Tameside
SK14 4SS
United Kingdom
Freedom to tell our story.
‘Fragility of freedom ‘is a unique and powerful art installation designed to promote the message that freedom is important for everyone - and how this freedom can be taken away at any point.
This year, Tameside SEND school arts hub (Thomas Ashton School, Oakdale Nursery and Primary School, Samuel Laycock School, Cromwell High School, Safe Start, Ashton, Hawthorns Primary School), along with The Lakes care centre Dukinfield, with support from Tameside Cultural Service, part of Tameside Council, has initiated a project to commemorate the Holocaust (1933 to 1945) where millions were killed because of their perceived racial or biological differences.
Each school embraced a different approach to the project, with one considered the atrocities of the Holocaust and another looked at what it is like to be free. This was the basis for their creative response,
Tameside SEND arts hub worked alongside wonderful storyteller and creator Adam Blake. Each, working with Adam, their pupils and students to co-creating a fairy-tale inspired story linked to the importance of freedom - this formed a basis for the creation of the zines.
Each child and young person involved also took part in an Arts Award Discover, which is nationally recognised and accredited by Trinity College in London.
Through their work, the children and young people involved understood how, even in times when so many were forced to live under Nazi occupation, there were still good people prepared to risk everything to help those in need, and still people fighting for their freedom.
Further to the creation of the stories, each pupil and student made a zine. The zines themselves tell a story. We discussed that freedom could mean different things to different people. What is clear is that in every genocide that has taken place, those who are targeted for persecution have had their freedom restricted, and in some cases completely removed before many were murdered.
The stories and zines then also form part of the final ‘shackled hand’ installation, created by the pupils at Thomas Ashton School with Elizabeth II group taking the lead. These hands were inspired by the quote ‘life will find a way’ to signify the fragility of freedom. However, from the centre of the hands is a large tree emerging brightly, illustrating that plants can grow in extraordinary circumstances, sometimes emerging from a crack in the concrete. The zines will replace leaves hanging from the tree. Each school has a particular colour zine so that they can be easily identifiable when visiting the installation.
The artwork/art installation will be unveiled on Friday 26th of January at Thomas Ashton School (the day before Holocaust Memorial Day), so that friends and family will be able to view the installation, it will then tour each of the participating schools, remaining at each for a week at a time for the following six weeks.
The installation will then return to Thomas Ashton School as its permanent home. Using the history of the Holocaust and other atrocities the project is designed to help pupils understand why qualities such as tolerance and acceptance of others are so important and how such events in history should never be forgotten.
If we held a minute’s silence for every victim of the Holocaust, we would be silent for eleven and a half years.
The total number involved is around 450, with all pupils and students being involved in the journey and the artwork that accompanies this powerful art installation.
The special educational needs arts hub (SEND) has created numerous pieces over the years to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day and this art piece will make all the pupils and students proud of their achievements in commemorating this very sad but poignant event.
The installation will be unveiled the day before Holocaust Memorial Day, 26th of January 2024 at Thomas Ashton School to mark this special commemoration.
Organiser Name
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Other organisation(s) involved
Tameside Special Schools