River of Hope 2022
In the spring of 2022 year 9 Art students at Kings Park were invited to create artworks for the River of Hope project. This international project formed a central part of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Through this programme students have been encouraged to think about the importance of safeguarding the future of their own natural environment.
Kings Park Art students worked with their art teacher Sam Jones and professional artist Shona Watt. They used art to study the environment and look at the historical use of the River Thames as a political tool. This helped them create imaginative pieces of artwork, using their sculptural and drawing skills and utilising recycled materials, while thinking about their hopes and aspirations for the next 70 years.
The final design (see below) has a scalloped edging to reference a postage stamp and each contains a silhouette of an inspirational person; be it a local hero, an environmental activist or a member of their school community. The students at Kings Park chose none other than our very own dinner lady, Charlie who got a shout out on the BBC while the flags were being marched down The Mall during the celebrations.
You can view the 200 wonderful designs from around the world as well as seeing some of the other fabulous work submitted at https://thamesfestivaltrust.org/river-of-hope/
Following the pageant, a number of the flags will be displayed as part of a public exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich from 24 September to the 30 October.
