College News

High fashion in London and Paris

The Art department at QE has taken 40 students on an inspiring visit to London and Paris, exploring the sights, museums and galleries in both cities and carrying out important research for A Level Art and Art Foundation coursework. Upon arriving in London, the group was able to obtain tickets for the hugely popular Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition before taking in examples of fashion, prints and interior pieces from the period 1952 to 1977 at the Swinging London: A Lifestyle Revolution / Terence Conran – Mary Quant display at the Fashion and Textiles Museum. Portfolio evidence was also collected from the Tate Modern and Natural History Museum and the visit concluded with students watching a stunning West End performance of Les Misérables, paying particular attention to the wonderful costumes and set design.

In Paris, the group explored the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Centre Pompidou and many famous Parisian sights including Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre. One of the main highlights was going up Montparnasse Tower and being able to see the entire city from above, providing another fantastic opportunity for drawing. Owen Davies, who studies Art Foundation, explains: ‘I was really excited to see original print designs by Eduardo Paolozzi as he is the focus of my stage three research’. A Level Fine Art and Textiles student, Ellie Bedford, adds: ‘I loved being able to obtain a close look at the garments created by Christian Dior and see how he created detailed floral surfaces’. A Level Fine Art and Graphics student, Yasmin Butler, concludes: ‘Being in both cities has helped me enormously with my work and I was able to find something in every museum to add to my personal project’.