Our Year 12 Creative Arts students have had a challenging Term 3, working on major projects while Off-Campus Learning. I would like to congratulate each student on their resilience and commitment to resolving the practical component of their chosen course in Visual Arts, Music and Drama. I would also like to congratulate my fellow Year 12 teachers, Ms Erin Mascord and Mr Mario Bonaccorso for their commitment and hard work under such extraordinary circumstances. Unfortunately our showcase night – MAD (Music, Art and Drama) was cancelled due to Public Health Orders but we would like to celebrate the students achievements with you. In this newsletter, Mr Mario Bonaccorso has shared the performances of his Year 12 Music I class. I have put together a ‘snapshot’ of the Year 12 Visual Arts Bodies of Work where you will see one image from each Body of Work. Early next term, I will share our Virtual Visual Arts Exhibition where you will see each boy’s full Body of Work with artist statements and interviews. Ms Mascord will also showcase the Year 12 Drama projects early in Term 4.
Visual Design and Photographic and Digital Media are also highlighted in this newsletter. The students have been offered incredible opportunities to meet with Internationally renowned architects and a photographer over zoom to help consolidate the concepts they have been studying over Term 3 while Off Campus Learning.
Music
YEAR 12 HSC MUSIC CLASS
This year, the HSC music class was not able to present their performance exam live to visiting examiners. Instead, this week they presented their performances via Zoom and uploaded recordings. In a year of unprecedented changes to their schooling, they have managed to overcome the challenges of online learning and have prepared performances they should be proud of.
As their classroom teacher, I would like to personally congratulate the students for their resilience and hard work during what has been a very difficult time for them.
I wish them the best for the remainder of their exams and encourage them to stay strong.
Please enjoy a sample of pieces students had been working on for the HSC.
Mr Bonaccorso
HSC Visual Arts Body of Work
I would like to congratulate the Year 12 Visual arts students. They have risen to the challenge of completing their Body of Work while Off Campus Learning. I am very proud of the work they have produced and this is a little ‘teaser’ in anticipation for the HSC Body of Work 2021 Virtual Exhibition which will be released next term. Congratulations Year 12 Visual Arts!
YEAR 10 MUSIC – VIRTUAL CONCERT
During Term 2, Year 10 had been preparing for a lunch time performance in the C.O.L.A . Some of the boys have managed to prepare a recording of their performances which you can enjoy as a virtual concert.
Mr Bonaccorso
Visual Design
Despite being in lockdown, the Visual Arts staff have used their creativity to find alternative ways for our students to experience extraordinary opportunities. Throughout this term, Year 9 and Year 10 Visual Design students have been studying Architecture through the guidance of Mrs Leen Rampe and Mrs Sarah Copas. The students have investigated geometric and organic forms in architecture through their Case Study and are each developing a design for an Environmentally Sustainable Treehouse on the ERC campus.
On Tuesday the 7th of September the boys had an all-day Visual Design Incursion where they were able to design and build their Treehouse Study Models. During the incursion, students also had an opportunity to meet the architect duo Bettina Steffens and Knut Menden (https://www.bettiundknut.com.au/ ) via zoom. This presentation offered a greater insight into the world of the professional architect. Bettina Steffens and Knut Menden introduced their design aesthetic, inspirations and design process to the students. They explained how they face and problem solve challenges and showed our students examples of their process. This ranged from initial idea sketches and study models to various technical drawings and a finished project with a time-lapse video of building installation.
There was a Q and A which targeted the students’ work, where both architects gave tips and suggestions for idea development and modelmaking processes.
The feedback from the boys was very positive, as they found the workshop and guest speakers to be very interesting and informative. It was a great way to give of the students a new perspective and renewed sense of direction in their design process and making.
Mrs Leen Rampe
Photographic and Digital Media
This term, Year 9 and Year 10 Photographic and Digital Media students have been studying the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson and International photojournalist Peter Turnley and have been creating their own Photographic Essay. Henri Cartier-Bresson pioneered the genre of street photography and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment.
Peter Turnley https://www.peterturnley.com/about is renowned for his photography of the realities of the human condition. His photographs have been featured on the cover of Newsweek 43 times and have also been featured in Harper’s, Stern, Paris Match, Geo, LIFE, National Geographic, The London Sunday Times, VSD, Le Figaro, Le Monde, New Yorker, and DoubleTake. Peter Turnley worked on contract for the Newsweek Magazine from 1986-2001 and as a contributing editor/photographer with Harper’s Magazine from 2003-2007. His work is frequently published in photo essay form in magazines, on major television networks such as CNN, ABC’s “Nightline”, and in online publications, such as The Online Photographer.
On the 15th September, Peter Turnley gave a zoom presentation about his photographic practice, designed specifically for our Edmund Rice students. This was an extraordinary opportunity for the boys as he spoke about his life as a photographer and took us through the images we had been studying. The boys had the opportunity to ask Peter Turnley questions directly. At the end of the presentation, we announced the Awards for Most Outstanding Photographic Essay and three Awards for Highly Commended – Photographic Essay. The students who won these awards have been presented with a book signed specifically for them by Peter Turnley. The winning Photo Essays will soon appear on our ERC Social Media platforms.
