School children make lanterns for York Minster Nights
York school children are working with a local artist to make lanterns which will help illuminate York Minster at a special event later this month.
Artist Griselda Goldbrough and York Minster Community Engagement Officer Helen Moore are running lantern workshops with four schools to help light the medieval cathedral for York Minster Nights, part of the Illuminating York festival, which runs from 30 October to 2 November.
Pupils from Tang Hall Primary School, Derwent Infant and Junior School, Clifton Green Primary and Haxby Road Primary School, have previously engaged in art projects with the York Minster team. The latest workshops involve pupils drawing colourful self-portraits onto paper lanterns, which will be illuminated with LED lights and hung beneath the Central Tower of the gothic cathedral for the four evening event.
The theme for the project is Remembrance; drawing upon the Christian season of All Saints and All Souls, pupils are exploring the concept of looking forwards and backwards, thinking about how and why we remember and in which ways we leave our mark behind. Investigating these themes through discussion, drawing and writing, pupils are designing and making stencils to use as a tool to decorate their paper lanterns. The lanterns will be hung together to show the collective work of 100 children leaving their mark behind.
“The aims of the project are to build upon the relationships we have with four local schools who took part in the ‘Minster on the Move’ schools outreach project in 2012-2013. Each contributing pupil and their family have been invited to celebrate York Minster Nights, to see their handiwork and further develop a connection with their cathedral by experiencing York Minster in a new light,” Helen explained.
“The design of the lanterns helps children to understand their place in the world, with the portrait depicting what and who they are now, and then words are added to reflect their views of the past, present and future,” added Griselda.
The hanging lanterns form just part of the York Minster Nights experience, which will include live street art within the Nave – specially emptied of chairs for the four evenings – and limited edition screen-printing. Participating artists include Joy Gilleard and Neil Parkinson of the Leeds-based arts co-operative, Black Rose, alongside renowned street artist Inkie, who has been described as Banksy’s ‘right-hand-man’.
York Minster Nights runs from 6.00pm on 30 and 31 October and 7.00pm on 1 & 2 November, with last admissions at 8.30pm. Admission is £5 for adults and £2.50 for children. Ticketholders also receive 50% discount off daytime admission to the Minster.
Tickets are available online at www.yorkminster.org , by calling the Box Office on 01904 557208 or from the York Minster admissions desks.
For more details, visit www.yorkminster.org .
ENDS
For further media information, please contact:
Jay Commins – Pyper York Limited
Tel: 01904 500698
Mob: 07810 546567
Email: jay@pyperyork.co.uk
