Out of Hours

Text Lies and Audiotape 2

A partnership project between St Thomas the Apostle College and the Out of Hours Schools Programme at Tate Modern.

In the spring & summer terms 2003, Year 8 students from The St. Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham took part in this art & literacy based project, working with artist educator Sam Gorman, sound editor John Webb and two teachers from the school: Head of Art Kate Bennett and English teacher Rus Ekkel. The aim behind Txt, Lies and Audiotape 2 was to create an alternative audio guide to accompany the Nude/Action/Body suite, which is available for public visitors to borrow. The project participants represented all levels of ability at the school. They are now familiar with many of the art works at Tate Modern and have developed new confidence in discussing modern and contemporary art.

Project Overview:

In order to create a reservoir of ideas to draw upon for the audio guide, the ten week project was split into a series of mini projects. These were designed to provoke ideas through exercises that developed lateral thinking. We looked at the power and subjectivity of descriptions, examining audio guides for the visually impaired. We developed descriptive skills through working in pairs, one student drawing an artwork that could only be experienced through another's description of it.

This emphasis on descriptive work led us into a mini project entitled Due to unforeseen circumstances this art work has been temporarily removed from display. The idea being to create a parody of a text panel to inform visitors about an absent work. We began our informative text panels in earnest before going off on a fictional tangent. This mixture of art historical fact and imaginative response forms the basis of our audio guide, treading the fine line between the artist's intention and the viewer's interpretation and imagination.

In order to develop more physical and intuitive reactions towards the sculpture on display we made our own stone carvings and metal sculptures. This gave us an appreciation for the qualities and limitations of materials and also an insight into the working methods of the artists we were investigating.

Project Participants

Charles Banigo
Aaron Mulligan
Lee Dickson
Ivan Banton
Francis James
Jose Realpe
Bradley White
Duchuy Bui
Nathaniel Cross
Stephen Winston
Adam Bewshear
Leigh Vaughn
Eric Roye
Alex Osei-Agyemang
Jesse Sawi

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