Fun Filled Friday

Pupils from Merkland School, East Dunbartonshire visited the exhibition today as part of Fun Filled Friday.

At the beginning of each term the pupils decide which option they'd like to take up, and this group had chosen to visit galleries and museums.

Jennifer (one of the pupils in the photo) told us how she loves statues and sculptures, so the dolphins, and eagles and robins were favourites... Sean (also in the photo) chose the spire for this shot, and he's been thinking about photography recently.

Merkland pupils have been finding out about George Wyllie in various classes.

As well as the pupils who visited today, the S2 English class - of which Sean is also member - has been recreating the story of one of George Wyllie's poems in tableaux, a drama of still photographs re-telling story through really good images. Their work is about Wyllie's poem 'Ode to a Saftey-Pin' and they've also been inspired by his scul?ture, Monument to Maternity, the huge safety-pin now at Rottenrow.

In Art the S2 pupils have also been looking at his Berlin Burd and his robins, and have been making bird sculptures, designing their own birds but trying to work in the style of Wyllie. They've also taken a lot if inspiration from his use of car exhausts and other scrap material. The pupils themselves used modroc to make their own bird sculptures, and those sculptures are now on display in the Learning Port at the Mitchell, the first sculptures to arrive.

So, poetry, drama, photography, art, sculpture, gallery visits...

The pupils are also building a boat to go on display in the Boat Shed, and some will be coming back to the exhibition to put it there. Others are even thinking of coming with the families.

Well done everyone at Merkland! We're delighted to have you onboard.