Chandos Primary School

 

In this warm, humid botanical womb we sit quietly. It is here we surrender ourselves to the passing of those final glitters of sunlight. Sounds of the invisible life; where creatures lurk and hide, rustling amongst the leaves and the thorns. Giving us shy company as we succumb to the twilight. In this wooded entrance we are surrounded by jaunty angles and broken pathways, it is late summer, so time here seems as if to slow. The outside world is framed by branches and leaves, reflecting off of the stream, glimmering. We can barely make out the view beyond into the further. Light slips through the cracks in the canopy above, as the golden hour bathes us in its glow. It is a magical place, this entrance, that provides us our shelter. However, if you go too deep the path becomes torrid and confusing, full of shadows and trickery. It is within this threshold we shall pause and wait out till dawn.

 

Inspired by the story of Daedalus – father of Icarus and maker of the Labyrinth that imprisoned the Minotaur, Ayrton found a 'richly complex story of captivity and escape, ingenuity and creativity, flight and fall, success and failure'. Ayrton powerfully evokes the ancient world, with inspirations that reach far deep into Greek mythology. This work serves as a reminder that art is for everyone, attainable for all. A reminder to stay in touch with that whimsy and tireless imagination. To incorporate it and live in balance with your light and your shadow; our essential nature.

 

Upon approaching this project, I almost worked objectively backwards. Only really discovering the chosen work after fully immersing myself in the imagery provided by Chandos students and the surrounding community.  I zoomed and cropped right in to unveil the sneaky creatures that wanted to materialise. Allowing the unassuming squiggles that happened to have eyes, and grumpy little triangles to come forward. When working into these stories, it was essential for me as an artist to maintain the integrity of the emerging characters.

 

Children have a way of seeing the world differently to us as adults. They haven't been crushed by the system, so choosing 'Entrance to a Wood' as your champion made a lot of sense. The rawness that was revealed in these wonderful, powerful pictures really paralleled that of Ayrton and his principal of a push and pull between light and dark, the whimsical and serious. Opportunities to be silly but also to call it like it is: unexpected angry faces balanced by cute delicate foliage.

 

My response to this project was to create something that helped to immortalise those inner children, so that we, and the future generations to come can learn from them. To remind us of that crucial element that is timeless imagination. And if nothing else, to inspire us all to stay curious. I'd like to take the time to say thank you to Chandos Primary and all those involved for allowing me the time and space to solely dedicate to being an artist.

 

“Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.” – Lovelle Drachman

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