Sense of Place 3
Featuring fused-glass artwork and poems by students from King Edward VI School, Morpeth and St Thomas More Catholic High School, North Shields
About the Project
This project was inspired by the beautiful landscape of Northumberland National Park and material in Newcastle University’s Special Collections, including the archive of artist and designer Leonard Evetts, engravings by Thomas Bewick, and contemporary poetry from the Bloodaxe Books Archive.
Over the course of three days, Year 9 students from King Edward VI School in Morpeth and St Thomas More Catholic High School in North Shields took part in a variety of activities and produced creative work for a public exhibition.
Day 1: Northumberland National Park
The project began with a visit to the Sill - The National Landscape Discovery Centre, in Northumberland National Park. Here the students explored artwork and poetry inspired by the natural landscape of the local area.
They then went on Ranger-led walk to Sycamore Gap where they stopped to immerse themselves in their surroundings and to do some writing and sketching in their nature journals.
“Absolutely amazing. I loved Sycamore Gap”.
Student
“I found it really inspirational to connect with nature.”
Student
“Very interesting introduction. Got my poetic juices flowing.”
Student
Day 2: Archives and Poetry
The second day of the project saw the students visit Newcastle University Library where they explored material from artists and poets in the University’s Special Collections. This included material from the artist and designer, Leonard Evetts, (who is perhaps best known as a master designer of stained-glass windows), engraver Thomas Bewick, and nature-inspired poetry published by Bloodaxe Books.
The students also experienced a lecture on poetry and Sense of Place, and took part in a poetry workshop led by poet John Challis.
“I enjoyed looking at the Special Collections.”
Student
“John the poet, really inspired me to think deeper into poetry”.
Student
“Epic”.
Student
“The students loved meeting a poet and gaining insight into both University life and writing poetry”.
Teacher
Day 3: Art and Fused-Glass
On the final day of the project the students returned to Newcastle University where they took part in an artist-led nature walk around the University campus and visited the Hatton Gallery. They also participated in a fused-glass workshop in which they created a piece of glass artwork inspired by nature.
“The nature walk was very calming”.
Student
“They really loved this [the fused- glass] activity”.
Teacher
“Loved learning how to make stained-glass”.
Student
KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL
Hadrian’s Wall
The land is grassy and wild
The weather is clear and mild
The quiet leaves chatter in trees
The clouds swim in overhead seas
The wall creeps along turning,
Faltering,
Running wild along with the hills
And protects us from the seasonal chills
Behind us cars move along the motorway
But the leaves are speaking and they say;
Hello to the hikers,
They speak of local mysteries,
Ancient castles blowing in the breeze
The winter thaw and freeze.
Coco
Hush and Listen
Hush
The water speaks for me
I am a jellyfish
So let me be
Maybe if I’m this way
And not a washed up old stray
You won’t categorise my worth
Just by looking at me
Me and my sisters all have pretty colours
That’s all you see
You gaze with admiration
But you’re ‘good’
So you’ll let it be
Maybe our sisterhood
Can be content as this
Not feeling like an entertainer
Judged as we swim
So hush now
The water speaks with me
I am a woman
Listen to me
Emily
Lonely Tree
Gazing upon the sycamore tree,
Tall,large,mighty it must be,
But ever wonder behind it all,
How lonely it must be.
Isolated,no sound
Just solitude,
No rustling of leaves,
How sad it must be.
With bright heather all around,
Bunches,groups,herds
Even piles of stones and rocks,
And yet there is just a single tree.
Every year watching the season go by,
The saffron leaves fall down,
Watching groups of cows even walk by,
In winter as the snowflakes fall down.
As this cycle returns again,
I wonder how Lonely it must be
Again.
Eva
The Mortality of Fawns
Deer
too close to the road
silver blade that cleaves the fields
tail bobbing
dead dusk
yellowing eyes in headlights
Refraction-
transfixed.
legs shaking,
legs trembling
Burst from brush
offer yourself up for dead.
Your mother barks for you
she knows every joint in your frozen legs
if this petrol beast
if this death you look in the eye
is to claim you –
Then, she will know nothing.
Deer
too close to the road
heart flutters
glowing like glass
this light eats you whole
A sound from a rolled window
unfamiliar cries of joy
and most terrible awe
are you this precious?
as the reapers think so?
as your mother thinks so?
skittish, now.
fleeting.
They cannot take you
as much as you need them to.
home is where the heart is
and your heart belongs to the wild
i am sorry
my dear,
my deer.
George
A Remote Funeral
A fond pet,
Lay alone in the woods,
In the soil free of litter,
His nose comforted by the smell of wild garlic leaves,
His eyes widened by the sight of tall trees,
As he rests peacefully upon the green grass,
I mourn freely for the pet who has passed.
Jesse
A Special Encounter
Leaves rustle,
I look, nothing there.
I sit and wait.
I hear it again- a different sound.
I look and he is there.
Black and white, face striped,
A vacuum nose to the ground.
He looks at me,
I look at him.
Watching me,
Watching him.
Man-made sounds disappear,
Escaping human senses in a connection with nature.
No advanced emotions, no complex communications.
Breathe in
Breathe out
And know without doubt.
We locked eyes, we locked thoughts.
He scurries into his secret garden;
His secret emerald palace.
I am left in the man-made world.
Josie
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Josie can be viewed in the Gallery.
Dandelion
Dandelion,
Your wispy parachute seeds,
They carry the dreams of young children who wish for a bright future,
Filled with happiness and blessing.
Dandelion,
Your grounded roots,
They remind me of reality.
I cannot be taken away by unrealistic expectations and beliefs.
Dandelion,
Your stable stalk,
It encourages me to stay strong
Because like you,
No matter what pushes me,
I will never break.
Dandelion,
Your small seeds,
They entice me into spreading kindness.
By doing small acts,
For friends and strangers alike.
Dandelion,
As your seed grows,
Just as someone evolving into a better person,
Spreading seeds of selflessness
Repeating the cycle until our world is filled with beautiful dandelions
Dandelion.
Lucy
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Lucy can be viewed in the Gallery.
The Tree
Before the barrier between us,
We were free.
Now this wall divides me.
I am a marker,
An attraction.
Now people touch and gawp,
Like I am in a zoo.
Now I am restrained,
My roots are held down with rocks.
There is … no escape.
Martha
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Martha can be viewed in the Gallery.
Sycamore Gap
Zac
The sunset reward after an accomplished day
The Swifts fly past,
Now, you know it is summer at last,
But how surprising sunset can be
Let alone the colours on the horizon you see,
I wonder if it would be the same if it weren't at the end of the day.
For if the clouds could talk what would they say ?
Fluttering wings,
Bird Calls and sings ,
Melodic noise ,
Girls and boys ,
This scene set on a field,
The clouds blocking the view like a shield,
Rustling trees and the taste of sweet dew ,
The painted sky no longer blue,
The break between day clouds and midnight stars,
Like people on planets searching from afar,
The poor fish that the seabird caught
The families all on their afternoon walks
The feeling of so little being so powerful, so involved yet so lost.
Martha
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Martha can be viewed in the Gallery.
The Scene
A mirage of green and brown visible at the forest’s edge,
Skywards, a few bright, beaming rays of sun escape the
Barrier of a beautiful mountain.
Underfoot, a meadow brimming with life; flowers sway
Gently with the early morning breeze,
Like great swirling clouds on brittle stems.
The soft buzz of bee, and flap of feather sound, echoing eternally,
As hoverflies drift dreamily in the air.
Butterflies dancing between flower and field, amid the morning dew.
Also sounds the lapping of a gentle stream,
Winding its way through weeds and reeds,
The water, cool as mountain tops, fresh and serene,
This, I thought, was my perfect scene
Max
Nature’s Tale
Sycamore Gap, where nature’s wonders bloom,
Flowers dance in colours, chasing away the gloom.
Hadrian's wall a heroic sentinel of old,
Witness nature embrace a story yet untold.
Petals unfold, like delicate dreams taking flight.
Their fragrant whispers kiss the air with delight.
Ancient stones, finding their space,
Softening the ground with grace.
Sycamore Gap, a haven where beauty’s at play,
Where nature and history change day by day.
A testament to time’s embrace,
As nature weaves its magic in this sacred place
Piers
The Sycamore Tree
This is a sycamore tree,
A tree for you and me,
A tree of truths and tales,
And to all that visit,
It whispers and wails.
This is a sycamore tree,
A tree for all to see,
This tree has character and fame,
But what about all the others?
It’s surely just the same.
This is a sycamore tree,
A tree for you and me,
A tree ever so tall,
Its beauty has a purpose -
To fill a gap in the wall.
Pippa
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Pippa can be viewed in the Gallery.
The Flying Bird
Bird high in the sky,
The wind is your calling,
You're calling to fly.
Forever free,
It's all you can be.
And yet somehow you still stay with me?
Our past is sad,
And for that I am sorry.
But when we escape,
You must hurry.
When we are free,
We then must flee.
You must fly back to your tree.
Will
ST THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
Nature’s Realm
In nature's realm, a wondrous sight,
Where beauty reigns both day and night.
The sun's warm rays, with gentle ease,
Caress the earth, a tender breeze.
Dan
Sea Lions in the Deep
Dive down, deep.
Swim down to the depths of the deep blue.
You’ll soon find these creatures lurking
Happy, peaceful, deceiving, waiting to pounce.
Down deep or rising high, you can always feel the waves they create.
Deep.
Dive down deep.
You see the circular eyes appear from the unknown dark.
Dive.
Deep down. You can find the hate, the creature understands.
He hates, hates that he’s hungry but unable to hunt. Hates the pollution of humans, they don’t belong.
Dive,
Deep down you can find the root of all hatred. The demon that lies within.
Alyssa
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Alyssa can be viewed in the Gallery.
Common Idol
we all look up to him
every single day
for he covers all aspects of life
in every single way
the holder of my emerald shields
blower of the wind
a blanket stretched across my golden fields
his breath seeping through
each blade of grass
beams rays of sun
till he’s done
then brews fiery rage
till his will storm pass
one day lifeless, still and grey
silver charm, snow at bay
next day an eclipse of dark ascension
stars from far foreign dimension
king of all, for every tongue of the land
must confess
he watches over our eternal rest
my hilltop green succumbs to you
the great almighty eternal blue
for when a shepherd looks up at night
he sees our common idol
the shepherd reads the cloudy scripture
its own natural bible
that shepherd sees the same idol,
as you, them and I
the idol above everything
mother nature’s sky
Zac
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Zac can be viewed in the Gallery.
Nature is a beautiful sight
Place where everything is right
The sun shines bright the birds take a flight
And everything is bathed in light.
The flowers bloom the trees stand tall
The gentle breeze touches it all
The rivers flow the ocean roar
And everything is worth living for
The animals play insect buzz
The world is full of so much love
The mountains rise the valley dip
And everything is perfect sync
Nature is a work of art
A masterpiece thats close to heart
Its a place where we can find
Peace and solace for our mind
Youssef
Dolphins in Nature
Dolphins in nature,
so free and wild,
swimming and playing,
their sleek bodies gliding through the wave,
as they leap and jump,
and show off their acrobatic ways.
With clicks and whistles,
They communicate,
In a language that we can only speculate.
They hunt and feed,
In a world so vast and travel in pods,
With a bond that will last.
Dolphins in nature,
So graceful and serene,
A world so pristine.
It’s elegance was unsurpassed,
Waves began to crash.
A tsunami wave,
May we always cherish and protect these creatures
And ensure their survival,
For future generations to treasure.
Kiana
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Kiana can be viewed in the Gallery.
Glass Sheets
The rain above fell like glass sheets
I feel soaked in cold embrace that feels somehow familiar
As the flowers danced in your coat of shine
They bloomed into their seasonal beauty.
Tall statues with wooden bark loomed gently
With ivy warped into their veins.
Peace warms me as i take in the nature
Everchanging and filled with desire
A mother who nurtures her kin
Reminding me of when i was smaller
And destined for a bigger dream.
Elena
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Elena can be viewed in the Gallery.
There in the distance is a snow covered street
The thick layer of white snow covers the top of the houses
The black car is stuck in a snowdrift
Whilst the people wearing hats, scarves and gloves walk through the white of the winter wonderland
There could be a polar bear with cubs far out looking for food
Little did i know i was the food
Paige
Quadrangle
Old buildings and cloudy skies
Car engines and people walking by
Windows fog over, the air is cold
Grass adorned with flowers red and gold
Benches wait for someone to sit
Chasing paper trying not to lose it
Wind rustling through all the leaves
Big, old, tall willow trees
Scratching of pencil on paper
Wet patches on the page
Rain colouring in the ground
People everywhere as you look around
Rushed conversations with no words
Branches dancing in the breeze
Trees gently swaying from side to side
Raindrops gripping onto the end of leaves
Keira
Still You Stand
Standing tall and proud,
Your deep strong roots sinking into the ground,
Leaves dance in the gentle breeze,
Swaying in the northern wind with ease,
Birds sing their lullabies,
Down below strangers pass by,
How far do your roots go down?,
Met with bark cracked and brown,
Near is a wall old and hollow,
On it sits a lonely swallow,
But still you stand tall and proud.
Lexie Jo
The Sound of Rain
The sound of rain patters against the proud distinctive buildings.
Forest green leaves littered around my silhouette like fresh snow on a winter's day.
The sound of rain accented the pale pink flowers.
Tall menacing trees stood tall as if they were giving out their daily orders.
The sound of rain overcrowded my senses.
I was overwhelmed with peace as I felt the soft gentle touch of the water drops against my finger tips.
The sound of rain stopped.
Faded, lingered, reminisced.
Lilly
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Lilly can be viewed in the Gallery.
Tree By the Road
Tall and sturdy,
Nothing so simple,
Yet so strange,
Constantly moving,
Never the same,
Never something so close,
Felt so far away,
One sits and writes,
The other creates life,
One rides cars,
The other sits and stares,
The tree by the road,
Completely oblivious to the world
Heidi
The Hill’s Welcome
The hills welcome me in the moonlight
As the brown hare runs past my stomping feet
I listen to Lover’s Rock
As the hills welcome me in the moonlight
Shadows of rustling shrubs and the hoots of the wise owl
Like spirits and ghosts prancing around me
As the hills welcome me in the moonlight
The moons spotlightling me
Solar Systems watching over me
Stone walls falling
Skies colliding
The hare returns with wide bewildered eyes
Like ambers
Saturn smiles at me with a welcoming smirk
As the hills welcome me in the moonlight
Comets from long ago stretch across the sky
reaching and searching for long lost treasures of the universe
Foxes, badgers and shrews all hurry over and befriend me
I listen to Lover’s Rock
As I tread
The hills welcome me in the moonlight.
Roisin
As Above, So Below
The World above where we tread,
Walking on land on our two legs.
The dimension below where strange creatures lurk,
Aquamarine paints the rocks a luscious verdant sheen.
Humans cannot stay here.
We love to test the boundaries between our world and the vast expanse,
Floating across the portal on hand made contraptions.
Looking down on the painted gems of the world below,
Knowing that if they take them away, the gemstones would become worthless stones.
This dimension humans explore, but we cannot remain.
We peek at its splendour through screens of glass,
dreaming of the other world which inhabits 71% of the world.
But the water is not for us.
But fear not, for the dimension we inhabit is just as extraordinary,
If you look close enough.
Look not on what we cannot take,
instead appreciate what we have in front of us.
The trees sing for us, we are just too ignorant to hear them,
The flowers bloom for us, we simply do not appreciate them enough,
The sun rises for us, but we take that for granted.
Nature is always there for us, why aren't we there for it?
We are a part of nature, it is just as alive as you or I.
Now, i ask you, look around, listen carefully, feel the nature,
You may be surprised as to what you find.
Tommy
A photo of the full glass piece produced by Tommy can be viewed in the Gallery.
Senses Last
Faces covered in clay like mud,
Hands stained in crimson blood,
As I fall I think of all that could,
I feel the jagged and rough floor,
The beauty is ragged and raw,
I feel the deafening, suffocating silence stab my soul,
Pollen blows where grass grows,
I see all of humanity's flaws,
The world is beautiful and great but plagued with deadly hate,
I see endless fields of emerald green, never to be seen,
I see flourishing fragrant flowers next to tall wooden towers,
Wild winds scream,
As the dazzling sun beams,
I see mighty magnificent marigold meandering aimlessly,
I feel the bitter sour rain licking my nose gracefully,
I see cotton candy clouds gathering in peaceful crowds, I feel the overwhelming amount of sorrow,
Knowing I will never see tomorrow,
Like lying on a bed of glass,
The pain holds so much mass,
I smell the strong sweet scent of lavender,
I feel death and I will not challenge her,
I taste the crisp refreshing air kiss my tongue,
I’m going to die alone and young,
Do mountains dream,
Do rivers wish to be streams,
Do hills wonder,
Is rain scared of thunder,
Calm winds whistle slowly, it feels so holy
My face fills with flooding tears,
The beauty blindfolds my fears,
I die a nameless knight in forgotten fight,
This will be my last sight,
I can see a glaring white light.
Aaron
“It really was a fantastic experience… The students gained so much insight, encouragement and confidence”.
Teacher
“I got a lot out of this experience”.
Student
“I really enjoyed it. It was very creative and engaging”.
Student
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