Chatsworth’s Burning Man Exhibition

A group of students from Saint Paul’s recently visited the Burning Man exhibition on the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire to support the start of their GCSE Art and Design course.

The students enjoyed the large-scale Burning Man exhibition of 12 monumental sculptures which were displayed in the park surrounding Chatsworth. Burning Man is a unique event that usually takes place annually in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA, but this year, Chatsworth has worked with the Burning Man team and artists to bring its distinctive culture of possibility and creativity to the Derbyshire landscape.

The pupils were set a photography brief to find all 12 sculptures in a treasure hunt with a map of photography based activities at key sculptures. They learned how to follow a brief, to gather their own primary research, gather evidence and develop their own photographic ideas to present and analyse on their return to school.

Miss Rebecca Coyle, Head of Art, said: “This was a wonderful visit which provided masses of inspiration. It was an amazing day with fabulous autumn weather and simply stunning art. It allowed students to experience a wide range of artistic styles and ideas whilst appreciating the sheer scale of some of the pieces and the media used. The setting was exhilarating and amazingly beautiful.”

Mr Mike Whiteside, Deputy Headteacher, added: “This was a great experience for all the art students, aided by a well thought out tour of the sculptures. Visits like these provide a very valuable experience for our students and enhance the learning curriculum.”